Around the regs
by KaseyJae
Summary: They were always aware of their feelings for each other, even if they couldn't live them out. Or not that often, that was... Collection of one-shots, SamJack
1. Name

_**Around the regs**_

_By KaseyJae_

_First of all, hello and thanks for giving my story a try!_

_**Summary: **__They were always aware of their feelings for each other, even if they couldn't live them out. Or not that often, that was…  
This is a collection of unrelated one-shots of moments, during which Sam and Jack get a chance to reveal and/or act out their feelings for each other, verbally as well as physically, with the occasional alien influence thrown into the mix…_

_This actually started out as some sort of outlet for all the stories swarming my head, but before I knew it, it's gotten quite out of hand. I had kinda challenged myself to see, how many situations I could come up with, where Jack and Sam could get their way without being court-martialled and so it grew and grew…_

_**Please note**__ that since none of these situations would have _ever_ happened in the Stargate universe, they are bound to be OOC. I'll try my best, however, to stay in character._

_Also, since I've only recently been introduced into Stargate SG-1, decades _after_ this has been aired, I'm pretty sure that nothing I've come up with, hasn't been done before, probably even by authors much better than I am. This is just my try on things._

_**Author's note:**__ I'm relatively new to Stargate SG-1, and while I write Fanfiction for some time now, I'm even newer to actually posting something.  
This is the first story I've actually worked up the courage to put up and I'll try to do my very best with it.  
Still, __**please note**__, that English is not my first language and this is unbeta-ed! So not only are all mistakes my own for not knowing any better, but, yeah, you'll probably find plenty of them…_

_**Rating: **__T  
There will be a few chapters that need to be rated M, but the story as a whole is not. I will specifically point out the chapters, where the rating will change, so you can skip them, if you wish. However, I will abide to this site's rules, so you won´t read anything too graphic in here._

_**Feedback:**__ Yes, please!  
I try to improve my English and writing skills, so constructive feedback will be very much appreciated!_

_**Disclaimer:**__ All publicly recognizable characters, places and settings belong to their rightful owners: Stargate Productions, Showtime/Viacom, MGM, Double Secret Productions and Gekko Productions.  
Any resemblances to persons, events, stories or locations are purely coincidentally.  
This work is simply for entertainment purposes and no copyright infringement is intended. Also, no money is made out of this.  
However, this story, any original characters, the settings and situations are property of the author and not to be copied or distributed!_

_So, last but not least, enjoy!_

_**Around the regs**_

_Chapter One: Name_

"…Eeeww!", Sam muttered under her breath, cautiously moving her hand to prod a finger into the wriggly goo that stained her protection vest and her BDU jacket over her stomach and sloshed down onto the thighs of her BDU pants in fat splashes.

"Oh, for cryin'… _Daniel!_", Jack yelled angrily, while swiping the sticky stuff that had managed to splatter onto his whole upper torso from his chin and his throat, flicking it away from his fingers with a disgusted expression, before wiping them indifferently on his sleeves.  
In front of them, poor Daniel looked like the proverbial poodle drenched in the not-really-appetizing slime.

"What…?", the archaeologist asked dazed, turning back for his friends. The Colonel glared at him pointedly, even if the linguist had to wipe his glasses first to notice.

"Oh, please!", he huffed. "Jack, you can't really hold me responsible for that!"

"Oh, I can't?", Jack smiled back much too sweetly. "Strange, I thought you were the one supposed to warn us of such traps!"

Daniel's eyes narrowed, partly because he had to squint to see something through his soiled glasses and partly because he was getting annoyed with his friend. "Jack, just because I understand the language on this planet and I have been to excavations of ritual sites before, doesn't mean I can foresee traps!"

"No?! Because that's why I even let you take point in the first place! You said there would be traps and you would be able to recognize them!", Jack barked and his voice ricocheted from the narrow walls surrounding them.

"Yes, I said that. But well, I honestly expected another kind of traps, that's why I overlooked this one…", Daniel admitted.

"Why? What's wrong with this trap? Not disgusting enough?"

"Sir, I think Daniel concentrated on traps more… lethal.", Sam jumped in to defend her friend. "He couldn't really know that we would nearly manage a few steps into this pyramid only to get sprayed with… slime, of all things…"

Daniel nodded enthusiastically to her words and Jack caved. "Point taken. Will you identify the next trap or do I have to take lead?"

Daniel rolled his eyes. "I think, now I've got a pretty good idea, what we're up against. It seems this culture is not only influenced by Ancient Egypt, but also–"

"_Daniel!_"

"Um… I know what I will have to look for, now. I should be able to find the traps. But we should move on a little slower.", Daniel summed it up, when the Colonel's eyebrow began twitching in a telltale way.

"Alright.", Jack decided, before he turned back for Teal'c. "Teal'c, we're… _Wait_! How come you haven't gotten soaked in that stuff?"

Teal'c grinned at SG-1's leader, who looked at him a little enviously, with a small, satisfied smile. "Since you have commanded me to stay at the back of our group for the time being, I have gotten spared. I believe I have to thank you and Major Carter for intercepting what would have surely been headed my way."

"Gee, you're welcome…", the Colonel murmured sarcastically, when a movement caught his attention from the corner of his eyes. Jack turned his head and noticed Carter swatting at something on her belt, trying to brush it down.

"Carter?", he asked confused. "What's wrong? Oh _please_ don't tell me, I have to worry about getting assaulted with junk next?"

"No, sir, it's just… Ah!", she twitched uncomfortably, her whole body trembling for a second, before she began to scrub her hands over her thighs earnestly.  
Jack's eyes narrowed suspiciously and he stepped up to her, getting worried. "Carter…"

"Oh… god…!", Daniel now groaned and when Jack turned his head, he saw his friend slapping at his arms frantically.

"What the hell's…?", Jack began, but a whimper from Sam interrupted him.

"Sir, it's… it's burning!", she said, tucking at her protection vest to get it away from her skin.

"Burning…?", he echoed, when Daniel suddenly cut in: "Jack, the slime's acidic! It´s burning through our clothes…!"

Daniel had merely said the words, when the Colonel felt it, too. An uncomfortable burn began to spread, where the goo glued his shirt to his chest and soon it was getting painful.  
"Oh, for crying out loud!", he cursed, while ripping first his protection vest open and then his BDU jacket. It didn't help much, though. The stuff had gorged through his black t-shirt underneath and had reached his bare skin. Jack tried to wipe it away with the edges of his jacket, but it stuck to him.

Next to him, he heard Sam moan painfully, when the slime started attacking her hands with which she had tried to rub it away. Jack looked over to her and was greeted with her slightly panicky eyes looking right back.

"Water!", he shouted. "We need to wash it off!"

"There was a small pond a little to the right side of the pyramid's entrance.", Teal'c supplied helpfully.

Thank god, Jack mused, it was exactly what they needed right now! Without thinking, he grabbed unto the person closest to him – Carter – and dashed off, yelling for Daniel and Teal'c to follow them.  
Together, they hurried out of the pyramid, almost falling down the flight of steps leading up to the entrance room. Taking two steps at a time, Jack noticed the irony. They hadn't even managed more than a few steps into the pyramid Daniel had been pestering him for weeks to get the chance to examine before they were literally running away again. And there weren't even Jaffa involved. Actually, the whole planet had been deserted for dozens of years from what Daniel had deduced from the writings on several, _interesting_ rocks they had found, but yeah, still dangerous in his whole own way…  
Jack might have been inclined to find it funny, but right now he _really_ had other problems.

Reaching the end of the stairs, Jack rushed off towards the direction Teal'c had pointed out, dragging his stumbling 2IC along by the wrist he had an iron grip on with his hand.  
He heard her whimper behind him in pain and the blistering sensation on his own skin was getting unbearable, so he couldn't help the relieved sign that escaped his lips, when the clear-watered pond came into view.

Jack all but skidded to a halt next to the water's edge and unceremoniously dropped his backpack, followed by his P90. His open protection vest and his BDU jacket fell to the ground and quietly sizzled along, completely forgotten by their owner.

The moment he was freed, Jack went to help Sam. With quick movements, he clipped off her backpack and her personal defense weapon, throwing them to the ground next to his. With slightly shaking fingers due to the pain he was in, he zipped open her protection vest and while she worked on shedding it, he attacked the zipper on her BDU jacket. As soon as he had her freed as well, he shooed them into the water. Sam groaned audibly, when the cold water hit her tortured skin, but Jack managed to bite back the curse that was threatening to spill. He had only managed to get Carter thigh-deep into the clear water, when Teal'c arrived with Daniel. The poor archaeologist hung limply in the Jaffa's arms, whimpering pitiful from the agonizing pain he had to be in. Teal'c didn´t even stop in his stomping forwards, when he relieved Daniel from his backpack and his weapon, dropping them to the ground, before he marched into the water and, reaching knee-depth, dunked the linguist under.

Seeing that Teal'c had everything under control, Jack went back to the task at hand: rescuing him and Carter. By now they had waded out far enough to be under water up to their necks. Or more precisely, her neck and his shoulders. Jack gripped his ruined t-shirt that now had large holes in it and hoisted it over his head, carefully maneuvering it around his dog tags. Not bothering with the destroyed garment, Jack let it simply sink to the ground. Finally free, he almost sighed at the relief the cold water was offering for his mistreated skin.  
But he didn't let himself dwell for long. He took a second to check his pants, but fortunately they hadn't gotten stained, so he was blissfully unharmed below the waist.  
Then, almost immediately his eyes went towards Sam, who was miserably trying to get out of her own burning clothes, but her raw hands were making it difficult for her.

"C'mere.", he murmured. "Lemme do it."

Thankful, Sam gave in and let him take over, shooting him a small, suffering smile. Jack laid his hands on her waist, running his fingers down until he found her belt under water and then began pulling her shirt from her pants. With a little difficulty because of the water the shirt had gotten soaked with, he dragged it up and over her head, carefully steering her injured hands and arms out of it.

Jack tried his best to not look at the black sports bra that greeted him and glued his eyes to her face. Her dog tags fell back against her chest, glinting in the reflecting sunlight from the water, almost begging him to look, but he remained stubborn.

"Better?", he asked, clinging to his professionalism.

She shook her head miserably and for a moment he feared her undergarments had gotten sullied as well. No way was he taking those off!

"Thighs…!", she ground out through tightly clenched teeth.

Oh, it had hit her pants. It had hit… _oh_. Inhaling, Jack steeled himself. He could do that, no problem. Carter needed help and she needed it immediately. So get a grip!

"Alright.", he said determined. "I'll have to get your boots off first. So hold on."

She nodded and understanding him quite literally, she grabbed onto his shoulders to steady herself.  
He grinned at her reassuringly and then dove under water. Reaching out his hand he bumped against her leg and then felt his way down until he reached her boot. Without seeing anything, he worked the knot open and then eased the boot from her foot. He jammed the boot between his knees and made quick work of the second boot. Her hands were clinging to his shoulders for support, but he didn't feel her weight. She tried to help him as much as she could and kept it off of him.

As soon as he was done, he emerged and tied the boot's laces together. He threw them around his neck so he wouldn't lose them – they didn't have spare boots with them and she might still need them – and then his fingers wandered back to her belt. He opened it and undid the button, followed by the zipper. Then he loosened her weapon holster that held her Berretta to her hip and thigh and her utility belt that held her spare ammunition and her combat knife, and just as he'd done with her boots he clamped the holster and the belt between his knees to have his hands free.  
Already her pants were thoroughly soaked, too, and heavy, so Jack had to use quite some force to get them down her hips. He was aware that it forced him to step way too close to her and he felt her breath wash against his naked chest. He was now practically looking down her half-naked front even though he couldn't see what he was doing under water anyways and his fingers were brushing over her panties, when he worked her pants down and he really tried his best to stay unaffected by it, but, yeah, that was still Carter with him, so there was only so much he could actually do to ignore the fact that, essentially, he was just _undressing_ his smokin' hot 2IC…

Suppressing a groan that was threatening to escape quite unprofessionally from his suddenly dry throat, he willed his thoughts back on track. He had a task to do, here.

Finally he got the pants down to her ankles and carefully he helped her untangle her feet. Just as he'd done with his own clothes, he didn't bother to save her ruined, holey garments and merely let them float away in the water.

Grabbing her weapons holster and her utility belt with one hand, he straightened and looked down at his 2IC, refusing his eyes to travel anywhere but her face.

"You alright?", he inquired.

"Much better.", she answered, sounding thoroughly exhausted and beaten.

Jack chanced a quick glance and saw huge, angry red spots distributed all over her pale skin, where the acid had burned into her. He imagined he wasn't looking any better.

She shivered slightly and he saw goosebumps appear over her skin, reminding him that the water temperature wasn't really welcoming a longer swim.

"Come on, let's get outta here and into some fresh clothes.", he said, before turning and heading towards the water's edge. He felt Sam grab onto his free hand lightly, hesitantly, and twisted his hand to take hers, without looking back. He led her back, clearly noticing the swollen patches on her hand. He pulled her hand out of the water and examined it with a quick glance. Angry, deep red blotches covered her usually flawless skin and Jack nearly winced in sympathy at the pain she had to feel.

They emerged from the water and although Jack didn't let go of her hand, he absolutely refrained from looking anywhere near her. He was only human, too. And he was pretty sure, seeing his beautiful 2IC half-naked, in only her underwear, and soaking _wet_, would do him in. In under a second.

So Jack glued his eyes to his goal – their backpacks and Teal'c kneeling next to them with the slumped form of Daniel. The Jaffa had ripped the archaeologist from his shirts, but fortunately, just like Jack, Daniel had managed to contain his injuries above his waist. Still, seeing that he had by far gotten the most thrown at him, Daniel's skin looked worst of them all.

Jack let go of Sam's hand and went for her backpack. He let her weapons holster, her belt and her shoes fall to the ground next to their backpacks and then dug through hers, until he reached their first-aid kit, before handing the backpack over to her so she could retrieve dry clothes.  
Jack carefully ploughed through the kit, until he found an ointment for burns. Silently he gave it to Teal'c, who began treating their friend. Daniel groaned from time to time, telling them he was still conscious, but otherwise didn't move.  
Jack uncovered another tube with ointment and after squeezing a good amount into his hand, he handed it to Sam so she could deal with her injuries. He spread the cool lotion on the abused skin on his chest and instantly felt better.

"Well, kids, I guess as soon as Danny's able to walk again, we'll have to head back to the infirmary, so that good ol' Doc Fraiser can poke needles at us.", Jack decided, sighing.

"I agree, O'Neill.", Teal'c stated solemnly.

Jack stood up and ignoring his soggy pants, he grabbed a fresh shirt from his backpack and threw it on. Water sloshed in his shoes, but he ignored it, seeing that he had no spares to exchange them. Then he threw a quick glance at his and Sam's protection vests and BDU jackets. They were all effectively ruined, but he stuffed them in his backpack nonetheless. There were probably some scientists in the SGC that would wail _forever_, if he didn't get them a sample back.

When he was finished and had checked on Danny once more, he asked over his shoulder: "Carter? How're you doin'?"

"Um… better?", she sounded insecure.

"How're the wounds?"

"The lotion helps."

"Good.", he said, before continuing: "So… you're dressed?"

"As much as I can…", she admitted and by her hesitant voice, he could perfectly picture her blush.

"What's that supposed to mean?", he questioned surprised.

"Um…", she began and now he imagined her fidget. "I… may have forgotten to pack a spare shirt… sorry, sir."

Jack snorted. He couldn't help it and hey, he had managed to hold back the laughter, but that was just too good! The picture-perfect soldier, the always prepared Carter who double-checked anything and constantly nagged him if he had forgotten to pack this or that, had actually forgotten to pack a spare shirt. Normally, it probably wouldn't have mattered, but of course she would pick the mission where she would desperately need it. Talk about irony.

For a moment Jack imagined her walking back through the Stargate topless and his laughter died. No fucking way in hell were those SF's getting to see what he had accidentally been lucky enough to catch a glimpse of!

He grabbed his backpack and rummaged through it. He had his spare shirt on himself, but if he was right, then he'd packed another BDU jacket…  
Grinning, he fished the item out of his backpack and turned for his 2IC. She had put her spare pants, her utility belt and her boots back on, her weapon holster with her Berretta strapped back to her belt and her thigh, and her arms were crossed self-consciously in front of her still half-naked chest.  
Again Jack did his hardest to keep his eyes at a non-court-martial-able place: her face.

"Here.", he said simply and handed her his jacket.

She looked at him astonished, but then a big grin appeared on her face and thanking him profusely, she slid into his jacket, zipping it up to her throat.  
Jack looked down at her. His jacket was way too large for her. In fact she had to roll up the sleeves so she could actually use her hands. The jacket went down to her thighs and she probably would fit twice in the thing, but somehow, Jack found she looked utterly adorable in his clothes. And he was so not thinking about the fact that she was practically naked under it… (okay, maybe a bit)

"O'Neill!", Teal'c called out, ripping him from his thoughts. "I do not believe Daniel Jackson will be able to walk any time soon, but he certainly requires immediate medical attention. I shall carry him back to the SGC."

"Alright.", Jack agreed. "Then let's pack up and return."

He hoisted up his backpack and his damaged P90, and then shouldered Daniel's backpack. Teal'c lifted the half-unconscious Daniel over his shoulders, not even blinking an eye, when he added the man's weight to that of his backpack weighing down on his back.  
Sam took hold of her things, now carrying her P90 in her hands seeing that she'd lost her protection vest, and then followed the Colonel.  
Teal'c took lead, setting a fast pace towards the Stargate.

Jack looked back at Sam and grinned automatically at seeing her in his overly large jacket. The straps of her backpack pulled the crinkling garment tight over her chest and he could clearly see the name tag reading 'O'Neill' staring at him from her torso. As could – and would – everybody else, once they'd reached the SGC.  
His grin grew even larger. He probably shouldn't like it that much, but seeing her wearing his clothes – with his name on it to boot – was soothing and satisfying in a very against-the-frat-regs way. One that he enjoyed way too much, but he just couldn't help himself.  
God, she looked adorable!

Hurray for gooey alien traps!


	2. Trap

_**Author's note:**__ Thank you all so much for your kind responses!  
Whether you actually took the time to write a review or decided to fav my story or follow me, I'm sincerely grateful for every reaction!_

_Hopefully I'll be able to keep up the apparently good work…_

_**Around the regs**_

_Chapter Two: Trap_

_Watching one's six_.  
Colonel Jack O'Neill was very much aware of the double entendre.  
It was a task of his job he took great care of, as he felt the responsibility for his team and the Cheyenne Mountain Complex every moment. As the Commanding Officer, it was his job to ensure that nothing happened to his team, so he always had Daniel's, Teal'c's and Sam's back.

But, unlike with Daniel and Teal'c, Jack was very much aware that, much like everything else, it was all different, where Carter was concerned. Because watching her six was more than a job, it was something he did – and liked doing – quite literally in _every_ meaning of the word. It was a pleasure, although a pleasure he tried not to indulge in too obviously. She was a keen observer and with their unusual connection could always feel, when he was watching her, so he only had few opportunities, where he could indulge himself. So Jack wasn't about to let a good opportunity pass by unused.

Which was, exactly, why he had taken residence up in the control room, insisting on staying, even though Carter had claimed, he must have more important things to do. How she got the idea that paperwork could even remotely compare to watching her repair the Stargate's data processor, he had no clue. Then again, she couldn't see, what he was seeing right now.  
Which was, Carter stuck waist-deep in the large, closet-like mainframe that took up most of one wall of the control room, trying to get down to the damage that had caused the processor to malfunction in the first place. Only her legs, her feet and her, well, six were still visible, while she bent and flexed to wriggle past the cables within the processor. The light of her flashlight flickered from the rather big hole, where she had dismantled a maintenance panel and had disappeared in the bulky machine.

And while she grunted occasionally, most likely enjoying the challenge the processor was providing, Jack was left with a spectacular view of her backside without having to fear any repercussions. From time to time he would feel guilty ogling her up and down like this, but then he told himself, he was only watching over her, so he would spare her the stares of others. As contradicting as it sounded, Jack was pretty sure she didn't mind him looking, but wouldn't be fond of getting drooled on by every SF entering. And by now, Jack had scared away three SF's, two Captains from other SG teams and, astonishingly, four scientists with well-placed, withering stares.  
Behind them Chief Master Sergeant Harriman worked on the Stargate's controlling computers without having so much as glanced in their direction. Upon seeing that Jack would stay, the Sergeant had deemed it out of his hands, had concluded that he wouldn't need to check on Major Carter and had turned his attention to his actual job. But, apparently, he was the only one able to look away from Carter's, admittedly, tempting six.

Jack felt his gaze getting drawn in to her almost magnetically and by now already beyond the point where he only admired her beauty, his body was beginning to tense in a betraying way. Seeing her long legs shift, when she turned within the processor and her BDUs tighten over her six when she stretched, he had to use his whole strength to keep his thoughts from running away.

"Carter? You done soon?", he asked grouchily.

She arched her back and her black tank top rode up, revealing a patch of pale skin at her waist. He almost groaned out loud. Well, he had no one to blame but himself. After all, he had insisted to stay, knowing quite well in what mess he would get himself.

"Not sure, sir.", her muffled voice replied from the inside of the processor. "I haven't found…"

She trailed off suddenly and he perked up immediately. Honestly, he had been against her crawling into that… thing in the first place. The moment General Hammond had approached her to have a look at the processor acting up and she had announced her brilliant idea, he had seen her get electrocuted before his inner eye. He had argued with her about half an hour, but she had finally shut him up with admitting that, essentially, there was no other way to find out what was wrong with the processor short of opening it up and have a look inside. And of course, being their resident computer genius, she had to do that. So he really had no choice but to comply with it. But he'd only agreed to it, when she had explained that she would cut off all power flow and would not be in any danger. He still didn't trust the whole situation, another reason, why he'd stayed, but he was placated enough to let her prevail. Still, just because he gave his okay, didn't mean he _was_ okay with her working surrounded by high charged electricity…

"AHA!", she announced triumphantly all of a sudden and Jack's attention was picked. Normally, this meant she had found whatever was wrong. He opened his mouth to question her, when suddenly a shower of high-lit, sizzling sparks of electricity flew from the hole she was encompassed within. Crackling sounds reverberated through the control room, almost drowning out the yelp coming from her and the dull thud when something banged against something within the processor, what Jack highly feared to be her head.

"_Carter!_", he yelled surprised, surging up from his chair and rushing over to her.

The sparks died down, but he didn't get an answer from her. Jack rushed over to the intercom and ground out through gritted teeth: "Medical team to the control room! Sergeant Siler to the control room! I repeat…"

He had left the intercom behind and slid back over to Sam once more, before Sergeant Harriman had even processed, what had happened. The Chief Master Sergeant wisely stayed out of the way, wary of the medical team that had to arrive any moment.

Jack didn't even spare him a side-glance. He crouched down and peered into the dark hole of the processor.

"Carter?", he called out worried.

"I'm fine, sir.", she replied, sounding slightly groggy.

Fine, my ass, he growled inwardly. Of course, she was not!  
But before he could answer with some well-chosen words, the Napoleonic power monger and her team stormed into the control room, Sergeant Siler only slightly behind them. Jack stood up upon seeing them, turning for the medics, who were dumping their stuff in the middle of the control room.

"Colonel!", Janet addressed him immediately. "What happened?"

"This _thing_…!", the Colonel growled displeased, while motioning toward the processor. "Just exploded into sparks with Carter still in it."

Janet gulped and then bent down to ask into the hole her legs were sticking out: "Sam? You alright?"

"Yes.", Sam's muffled voice answered and just like the first time, Jack didn't believe her for a second.

"Can you get out?", Janet asked next.

"No.", Sam admitted. "I'm stuck."

The Colonel growled, very audibly. What did she mean, _stuck_?!

"Major Carter.", Siler cut in, stepping up next to the good Doctor. "Did you separate the processor from all power sources, before you started your examination?"

"_Of course!_", Sam huffed indignantly from within the processor, obviously affronted someone could even _suspect_ her to have forgotten.

"Well, Carter, from my point of view, it's still getting electricity from somewhere.", Jack drawled angrily.

"I know, sir.", she said. "But I don't know how that's possible! It shouldn't do anything anymore!"

"Major Carter.", Siler took over once more. "The controlling computers are connected to the processor. Did you take them off electricity?"

"_Yes_.", Sam insisted.

Puzzled, Jack turned to Siler. "But Walter was just working on them!"

Siler turned around astonished and saw Harriman nod to Jack's words. Simultaneously, the other Sergeant and Sam inside the processor groaned.

"What?", Jack asked, piqued that all those geniuses knew what was wrong and he had no clue.

"There has to be something wrong with the wiring.", Siler concluded. "If Major Carter has disabled all power flow to the processor and the connected computers, then my guess is that some pins have been switched, when the processor has been set up and it is still able to power itself up, because it's not functioning in the way it should…"

The Colonel's face grew more and more stormy and heated with every word the Sergeant ushered, making him finally trail off uneasily. Oh, Jack just _knew_, there was someone responsible for that! And God help this scientist, when he would get his hands on them!

"Any chance to get it off the power?", Jack all but growled.

Siler hesitated. "Well, we would have to disassemble the whole thing to see, where it's wired wrong…"

"How long's that gonna take?", Jack inquired.

"Um… hours… at best.", Siler admitted.

"Oh, for cryin' out loud!", Jack groaned. Even he knew that they couldn't leave Carter in that thing that long. She would get fried sooner or later, when another electrical outburst would hit. And Jack was pretty sure that another one would come. It was just the way things worked for SG-1…

"Sir, we could…!", Siler began, but Jack effectively interrupted him. "Ah! Don't wanna hear it now! Just get my 2IC out of her misery, before this thing causes some damage Fraiser won't be able to fix!"

Siler nodded and crouched down next to Sam's legs. He took a flashlight light from his utility belt and shone it towards her. Jack tapped his finger against his arm, waiting impatiently. For a second there was silence, while Siler seemed to assess the situation. Jack started tapping his foot on the concrete. Then Siler started talking to her, but Jack couldn't hear a word, because of the processor being in the way. And Jack began pacing. Then Siler's head disappeared into the processor. Jack stopped, his eyes glued to what was happening. Siler shifted, stretched and bent, but finally he emerged back out, looking resigned.

He stood up and turned towards Jack. "Sir, I'm sorry, but Major Carter's watch has tangled in the cables, trapping her arm. She can't undo it, because she has no room to move, and unfortunately, I couldn't help her. I couldn't reach her. We need someone taller…"

"Oh, swell…", Jack answered, rubbing the bridge of his nose exasperated.

"Sir, maybe you should try.", Janet suggested.

Jack's head shot around. _Was she kidding him?!_ Under no circumstances should he be the one to be trapped with Carter in a tight spot with half the base looking! He knew she needed help and, for the love of all, he would _do anything_ to be the one to come to her rescue, but he _still_ was aware that this was a decidedly bad idea…

Janet shot him a stern look. "Sir, as far as I know, and I have access to the personal files, we don't have many men taller than you are on the base."

Shit, Jack cursed inwardly. She was probably right. Teal'c might be the only one about his height and he was currently accompanying Daniel on some archaeological excavation on PX-godknowswhat…

"Oh for cryin'…!"

Jack bent down and stuck his head into the processor. He saw Carter's flashlight hanging down from a cable, shining directly into his face. He squinted his eyes, but wasn't able to see anything of his 2IC against the light.

"Carter?", he called out.

"Yes?", she answered weakly.

Hearing her to be in obvious discomfort, he really had no chance. He sighed. "I'm comin' in…"

He shifted to lie on his back, next to her legs, and then used the hole's edge to pull himself into the processor. Immediately he was greeted by a stray spark that sizzled past him. Hm, cozy.

He pushed up with his legs and wary of all the cables around him, maneuvered upwards. When he reached the damn flashlight, he yanked it out and threw it down, hearing it clamber over the control room's floor with satisfying _clanks_.

Now he was without light, but after a short moment his eyes adjusted and he could look at Sam. As expected, she was right beside him. Her left arm was dragged upwards, stretched in a manner that had to hurt, he could tell just from looking, and, indeed, her watch was entangled in cables, keeping her arm stuck high up in the processor. In contrast, her head was pressed down by a part of the metal encasing that had come down, weighing down on her left shoulder.  
Jack winced sympathetically at seeing her state.

"Sir…", she said surprised upon seeing him. "What are you doing here?"

Carefully, he tried to move over to her and felt his hip bump against hers. She grimaced slightly, when the movement jostled her jammed shoulder.

"Well, apparently, they needed someone like me to do the job.", he announced.

Sam snorted weakly. "Siler's too short?", she asked.

"Yep.", he answered. "He couldn't reach you."

"I noticed.", she said.

Jack reached up, but still failed to get to her watch. "Well, looks like we're gonna have to squeeze tight, too.", he stated dryly.

"Whatever you need, sir.", she complied.

Grunting, Jack tried to maneuver around the cables and the metal encasing blocking her shoulder to get closer to her. Seeing, what he was trying to achieve, Sam reached towards the back of the processor with her free hand and splaying it against the cold metal, she pushed backwards, trying to give him space. Jack ducked through under her hand and managed to get under her, carefully pushing himself up with his still free feet, trying his best to _not_ think about the fact that he was now practically sliding up her chest…

He succeeded in getting so far that he was able to look straightly onto her neck, but then the metal coating prevented him from climbing any higher. He brought one of his hands up and pushed it out of the way. He didn't get it completely out of his way, so he still had to operate around it, but at least Sam was mostly freed from it. Sighing in audible relief she slumped forwards, when she was finally relieved from the pressure digging into her shoulder… and fell right against his chest. Jack froze in his tracks, when her head landed on his shoulder, her breath blowing down his neck.

"Um… Carter?", he whispered insecure. Could the others hear, what they were talking about in here?

"I know, sir.", she murmured back, right into his shirt above his collarbone. "I'll stand up immediately…"

But her attempt was so weak, that he almost chuckled at it. "You know, Carter?", he grinned. "Better stay put as you are. Gives me more room to move."

"Yes, sir.", she agreed.

He shifted slightly under her, hoisting them both up a bit and thus managed to get his legs profusely entangled with hers. For a moment he wondered, how that might look from the outside, but was relieved from any speculating, when Janet's voice yelled: "How's it going, Colonel?"

The good Doctor had to raise her voice to reach them within the metal encasing and with the whole space covered by his large body, Janet couldn't really poke her head in. Which was probably why she still sounded completely oblivious to what was going on in the tight space of the processor…

"I'm workin' on it!", he shouted back. "Gimme a bit time!"

With a bit of twisting around, he got his arm around Sam and reached up to her captured hand. With his fingers only grazing her wrist, he began disentangling her from the cables. It took quite some time, but finally he heard a snap and suddenly Sam fell down onto him, her whole weight landing on him. In an automatic reaction, he caught her and together they banged against the back of the processor, his head knocking painfully against the moderately hard metal.

Jack became instantly aware that he had probably ripped something important with his fall, because immediately, sparks erupted all around them. In a reflex, Jack grabbed onto Sam and tried to curl in around her, to shield her from the electricity flying all around them. He distinctly felt his abused knees smash into the outer encasing of the processor, pain dancing through them instantly, and heard Janet call out worriedly. Sam winced against his chest and held onto him. But luckily, they weren't hit by the electricity, merely got a few minor shocks from stray sparks that left their arms and legs tingling for a second.

After a moment, everything was over and Jack and Sam were left in an eerie silence, their heavy breathing a suddenly harsh contrast.

Jack lowered his head, until he felt his mouth brush her ear. "You alright?", he asked concerned. She lifted her head in response, until her nose and mouth came into contact with his jaw. "I'm fine, sir.", she stated. "Just exhausted. And my shoulder hurts."

"Yeah, I figured.", he chuckled. Slowly, he moved his legs down again, practically hearing his knees protest with the strain he'd put them under.

"Colonel? Sam?", he heard Fraiser call out from the outside worried.

"So, you wanna get out of here?", he inquired, speaking right into Sam's ear.

She sighed, which sounded more like a wince. "Gimme a second?", she asked. "Need to gather some strength…"

"Take your time.", he agreed. Then he yelled for Fraiser: "We're fine! Still need some time, though!"

Fraiser probably answered something, but Jack felt his attention taken from the good Doctor the moment Sam reached around him, grabbing onto the back of his shirt and hugging him close. She sighed relieved and he could almost imagine her close her eyes. It was an almost habitual reaction to embrace her back, tucking his head down into the crook of her neck, pulling her intimately close to him.

"Thank you…", she said.

"Any time.", he answered sincerely.

He indulged for a moment in her scent wafting all around him, before their situation knocked onto their little bubble. He had to get them out of here, because they were still in imminent danger of getting electrocuted.

By now, he was pretty sure, Sam was only half-conscious anymore and wondered, how much she'd really gotten hit with. Slowly, inch by inch, the Colonel worked them down, trying to get them out of the processor. He had to go slow so they wouldn't get tangled in other cables, but finally he could see the light. He used a hand to pull them out by holding onto the hole's edge, but he didn't want to take the other off of Sam. But then he could feel additional hands grab onto his legs to pull, probably Siler and a few of the male nurses. Holding onto Sam, Jack let them pull him out of the hole and tried not to smile at the picture they would undoubtedly get to see, when they would emerge: him in a tight embrace with his 2IC, who was by now lying sprawled on top of him. He couldn't care less right now. Sam had needed his help and for her, he would do about _anything_…


	3. Sleep

_**Author's note**__: This situation's a classic.  
Been done to death, I fear, but I couldn't resist…_

_**Around the regs**_

_Chapter Three: Sleep_

Daniel awoke, when he bumped his head painfully against one of their backpacks. Sleepily, the archaeologist raised his head to look around affronted. Blinking into the darkness, he could make out the backpack sitting innocently next to the improvised pillow he'd made out of his BDU jacket. Groaning, Daniel gave it a well-placed shove, but due to the very apparent lack of space in their sleeping tent the backpack remained unimpressed, not even swaying slightly.

Yeah, Daniel had to admit, essentially, it was his own fault. They were on an archaeological excavation off-world Daniel himself had insisted on, and had deliberately come with only sparse luggage, for example using a larger tent instead of their usual two-men-tents which enquired double the equipment – only for Daniel to forget the material tent…!

They had had a nine-hour-hike behind them, when they had finally arrived at the ruins Daniel wanted to explore and had found out about Daniel's involuntary slipup. Needless to say that Jack had been less than pleased. He'd vented a good portion of his irritation on the poor archaeologist and then demanded that he'd make do somehow, because he had blankly refused to split up the team for one half to return to the SGC and get the missing tent.

For the first days they'd even done well, Daniel mused. They had found more artifacts than Daniel and Sam could analyze and their biggest worry had been how they could get all those things back to the SGC. But then the weather had taken a turn for the worse and suddenly they were immerged in the mother of all down-pours. Daniel and Sam had scrambled to rescue their precious founds from the weather and, with no other option, had stocked them in their sleeping tent. Again, Jack had been less than thrilled.

So by now four adults were squished into the tent – because neither of them had been fond of having to sleep in the rain – together with all the artifacts and their whole equipment. Meaning there was evidently no space for anything or anyone. It wasn't unusual to bump into anything or anyone during the nights, and Daniel was aware that Jack was counting the days down until he could break up this camp.

Sighing, and by now wide awake, Daniel looked around. The sleeping bag on his right side was empty. So Teal'c was on watch. So it had to be in the early morning hours, Daniel concluded, seeing that he had had the first watch, Jack the second and Sam was supposed to get the last. Still it was pitch-dark in the tent, the only thing allowing him to see were his eyes that had adjusted to the lack of light.

Daniel glanced over to the rest of his team. Next to him Sam slept with her sleeping bag pulled up to her nose. Furthest to the left and with his back turned towards his friends lay Jack. Both were sleeping peacefully and, as far as Daniel could tell, still in the same position that they had fallen asleep in. Yeah, had to be another one of those military-discipline things, Daniel figured. That, and the fact that, by pure chance, both officers had ended up directly next to each other this time. Daniel knew that Sam and Jack often shared tents off-world, but then again there normally was more space in them than they currently had. He also knew that the overcrowded tent with the obvious lack of space was doing their toll on his friends given their not-so-secret feelings for each other, but still Daniel had very much refrained from suggesting to Sam that they could switch places. In his current testy mood Jack was likely to kick him _accidentally_, just for his amusement, and Daniel so didn't need that after a hard day's work of digging out alien artifacts…

So, yeah, as much as Daniel felt with his friends, he was still not inclined to help make the situation easier for his friends. He had to make do with the lack of space, as had Teal'c, so they could deal with it as well, he figured.  
Then again, Daniel noticed, nowhere in this freaking stuffed tent was more space than between Jack and Sam…

Daniel was suddenly ripped from his sleep-befuddled musings, when a tiny whimper rang out in the silent dark. The archaeologist jumped, taken by surprise, when all of a sudden, Jack turned over to lie on his other side. Daniel glanced over at him, but the special-ops-soldier was still sound asleep and this succeeded in reassuring the scientist. When the specifically trained soldier didn't pick up on anything, then there obviously was nothing, Daniel told himself. Maybe it had been Jack's sleeping bag that had squeaked when the guy had turned over…?

Daniel had just managed to convince himself of that reasoning, when another barely audible whine sounded out. Daniel sat up and strained his ears to hear. Was there something out there? But then Daniel felt stupid. Teal'c was out there, keeping watch. If anything was there, it would have registered with the Jaffa way before with Daniel.

Daniel's logical mind had just settled him back into ease once more, when Sam suddenly threw herself around next to Daniel. Again the archaeologist flinched in surprise. His heart pounding with the unexpected shock, Daniel glanced over at his friend. Sam had rolled onto her side, her BDU-covered legs now sticking out from underneath her sleeping bag. Despite the heavy rain, the planet's weather was unusually warm, so they all used their sleeping bags mostly as blankets. Daniel thought about reaching over to tuck her sleeping bag back over her exposed, naked feet, when Sam abruptly trashed around once more, her head swiveling around so that it now lay pointed in Daniel's direction. The archaeologist could clearly see her scrunched up brows and the strained lines in her face. A fine sheen of sweat had appeared on her temples and she groaned almost inaudibly. Her hands fisted in her sleeping bag and her feet kicked nimbly underneath it. Finally, Daniel understood. Sam was having a nightmare!

Immediately, surprise turned into concern. It happened from time to time that one of them would suffer from nightmares. It was more than understandable in their line of work and with the horrors they were repeatedly presented with.

Daniel reached over to shake Sam awake, when she unexpectedly rolled over once more, effectively pulling out of his reach. Daniel scowled at her. Was she doing this on purpose?

Sam came to lie on her stomach, moaning into the iso mat underneath her. Now she was only inches away from Jack and suddenly, Daniel could see the older man react to the tiny groans she emitted. Jack scrunched up his face in his sleep, his slumber disturbed by the restless turning beside him, but he didn't wake up. Not even, when Sam tossed onto her side, coming to lie face-to-face with him. She whimpered and began to wriggle uncomfortably. By now Daniel was seriously wondering, what she was dreaming about.  
Sighing, he began to unravel himself from his sleeping bag to crawl over and put Sam out of her misery. He had barely succeeded in getting his legs untangled, when Sam managed to knock her arm against the Colonel's elbow. Daniel froze in his movements. Too late, the damage was done!

So Daniel was vastly surprised, when Jack failed to react. It was a testament to how much the Colonel had adapted to the lack of space and the frequency of someone bumping into him in their sleep, and the lack of sleep he was probably suffering from under these circumstances.

Then, all of a sudden, Sam inhaled shakily and whispered: "Jack…!"

Daniel raised an eyebrow in confusion. Was she dreaming of him or had she somehow managed to pick up on his close presence even though she was asleep? Because by now Sam and Jack were only mere inches away from each other. Sam's arm still lay against the Colonel's and Daniel was sure that, by now, her writhing legs had at least once kicked one of Jack's thighs. The Colonel grunted annoyed, apparently hovering in between sleep and awakening.

Daniel's mind raced. What should he do? Quickly skip over and try to still Sam, before Jack would wake up? Or feign to sleep and let the Colonel handle it?

Daniel was relieved of the decision, when the Colonel decided to take matters into his own hands. Daniel could see that he was still asleep. His eyes were still closed, his lips slightly ajar, his breath fanning in and out evenly.  
Still, unerringly, the Colonel reached out with his free hand, laying it over Sam's sleeping-bag-covered shoulder. "Sam…", he mumbled incoherently and then pulled her over, flush against his own frame. Sam stilled immediately, only wiggling to get closer to him. Her head came to lie underneath the arm he used as a pillow and her face nuzzled into the spot between his shoulder and his neck. One of her hands that clung to her sleeping bag disappeared under his, undoubtedly to clutch onto his black shirt. Jack's arm closed around her back, keeping her against him, and shielding her protectively. His head lowered so that his face got buried in her hair.  
She moaned again, shuddering faintly from the tight hold her nightmare had on her, and instantly Jack murmured drowsily: "Sleep…"  
Finally, Sam settled down and sighing, she relaxed against him. The tension seeped out of her and almost instantly Jack slipped back into his state of deep sleep. It took only moments, until Sam's breath evened out again and Daniel realized she'd fallen asleep once more.

Stunned, the archaeologist gaped at the picture he was presented with. Jack and Sam, entangled in their sleep. Like a married couple…

Puzzled, Daniel couldn't help but notice that it appeared awfully routinely the way Jack had reacted to Sam's distress. Had he done this before? Or were they simply that much in tune with each other?

Whatever it was, it certainly seemed to help Sam more than anything he could have done. Shrugging, Daniel curled back up in his sleeping bag. He decided he didn't see any problem in it, although he knew two certain officers, who undoubtedly would in the morning. But to make it easy on his friends, Daniel opted for not having seen anything. They'd probably be embarrassed enough, when Teal'c came to switch watch with Sam, so they didn't need to know he'd witnessed it as well.  
Besides, Daniel really didn't think it problematic at all. There was no need for a fuss about that, in his opinion. After all, you had no control over what you did in your sleep, didn't you? And certainly, you couldn't get court-martialed for something you did while asleep, could you?

Smiling, Daniel drifted back to sleep, ignoring the now content sigh coming from Sam and the deep rumble with which Jack responded subconsciously.

* * *

_A/N: Next one's going to be the first alien influence Sam and Jack will be under…_


	4. Happiness

_**Author's note**__: Once more, thanks to all, who reviewed (again) and all, who added this story to their alerts!_

_This chapter has been one of those M-rated. I tried to rewrite it to fit the T-rating, but I didn't want to take out too much, so this could still be bordering on M… Anyways, enjoy!_

_**Around the regs**_

_Chapter Four: Happiness_

Still in complete gear – minus the weapons two SF's had thankfully relieved them of – SG-1 filed into the briefing room. General Hammond looked up from what seemed to be a deep discussion he was immerged in with several scientists of the SGC.

For a moment Jack wondered if they were supposed to be here, but then again the order had been to _immediately_ return and report back.

"Sir?", Jack asked, slightly confused. Behind him, Daniel and Sam stopped, both apparently as irritated as the Colonel. Only Teal'c seemed to take it in with his usual calm.

"Ah, SG-1. Welcome back.", the General greeted composed, and instantly all heated conversation between the various scientists ceased, all glancing back to the SGC's flagship team. Jack tried his best to oversee that the majority of their gazes settled onto his 2IC, who stood patiently waiting at his side.

"So?", the Colonel prompted. "What was so important that you had to call us back from our mission? Not that I didn't enjoy diggin' through those _fascinating_ ruins and all this technobabble Daniel and Carter were afflictin' on me, but…"

The General motioned for them to take a seat and SG-1 complied. Again Jack could see a few scientists glancing hopefully at the free seats besides them – Felger even called out for her – but to Jack's silent pleasure Sam didn't seem to register and sat down next to him habitually.

"The reason why I called you back…", the General set to explain. "…is that we need Doctor Jackson's and Major Carter's expertise on this here."

The General pointed at some kind of artifact that was placed strategically on the table, all scientists gaping at it wondrously. Immediately, Jack saw the familiar glint in Daniel's eyes that told the Colonel that his interest was picked, and next to him, Sam leaned forwards, her eyes already examining the thing. Jack gazed at it with modest enthusiasm. Another artifact, yippee… Not that this one hadn't rescued him from the archaeological site he'd been stuck on earlier, but yeah, still another artifact…

Jack gazed it up and down. It was fairly large, but not overly. It had a square shape with intricate embellishments and fine lines of writings in an unfamiliar language sculpted in between. Through the adornments shone a relaxing soft white light that seemed to come out of the artifact. The light pulsated in a slow rhythm, growing lighter and then dimming in an unhurried pace.

"What is it?", Carter asked from beside him, leaning forwards to study the artifact curiously. Of course, all eyes went to her the moment she spoke, but her whole attention was captured by the object.

"To be honest? We don't know.", the General admitted. "SG-6 brought it back from our recent associates on P45-G98. It was a… gift to us in honor of our alliance."

"P45-G98?", Jack asked confused. Hell, why couldn't they just name the planets they were visiting? Who was supposed to remember all those letters and numbers and actually relate them to the right planet? Aside from Carter, of course.

"A peaceful planet named Herradon, which has an uniquely long area of lasting peace.", the General explained. "Although they're not that much advanced technically, they have an exceptional society, characterized by a deep contentment and harmony. SG-6 made contact with them about a month ago and was fascinated."

"Yeah, it sounds really… _fascinating_.", the Colonel stated dryly. In his opinion it was too good to be true. There had to be a catch somewhere!

"Well, the people they've encountered were nothing but friendly and when SG-6 returned to the SGC, they presented them with this artifact in the hope that we would learn to understand them better with its help.", the General went on.

"What does it do?", Daniel inquired, his eye shifting from the artifact to General Hammond to Sam. The scientists of SG-1 were exchanging glances on a regular basis, communicating silently with each other. Jack was used to it by now and knew that they weren't acknowledging anything outside this new toy anymore. Their whole attention was taken. Oh joy.

"We don't know yet.", General Hammond explained. "And until now I haven't heard anything apart from wild theories."

Jack chuckled at the obvious reprimand it was to the other scientists. Apparently they'd failed to come up with some solution so far, which was why General Hammond had seen himself forced to call back the geniuses of SG-1.

"Sir, could I…?", Sam asked the moment Daniel called out: "General, I'd like to…!"

Both looked at each other shortly and Jack had to fight to keep a straight face. Then both glanced at General Hammond like little children waiting for their Dad to give the okay.

The General smiled generously. "Experiment away."

Jack wasn't surprised that he didn't even get to blink, before Daniel and Sam had left the room, the artifact tucked securely under the arm of his 2IC. He imagined he could still feel the gusts of wind in their wake, but not even the sounds of their feet were still heard. The baffled looks of several scientists remained on the stairs, but Jack didn't even bat an eyelid, when he turned towards the General and asked: "Permission to leave, sir? I'd like to remove my gear…"

"Of course, Colonel.", the General approved.

The Colonel nodded at the other scientists still seated around the table and together with Teal'c, he left the briefing room.

Well, he mused, there was one advantage to the whole another-alien-artifact-discovery. Although he wouldn't get to see Carter all too often in the next days and would probably get annoyed with another technobabble-lecture by Daniel somewhere along the way, he'd also get to spend some downtime on base. No archaeological excavation for the next time! Such a shame…

SJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJ

Daniel was in his lab, bent over innumerable photos of the language inscribed on the device's surface, trying to translate it. He'd never seen anything resembling this language and it was intriguing as hell. Finally a challenge! It actually made him excited beyond words, leaving him with the irrational urge to jump up and down giddily. Never mind that he had been looking at these symbols for over a day without making any progress in identifying them, but Daniel's natural confidence in his work assured him that he would, eventually.

A crash in the hallway in front of his lab's closed door made him look up. Grumbling over the interruption, the archaeologist got up and stuck his head out of his lab. A few feet down the hallway stood an assistant of one of the other scientists, a young, unremarkable woman with dull brown hair that Daniel didn't know the name of, looking down at what seemed to be the remains of some scientific procedures. Shatters of glass and various liquids were forming a wide-patterned cluster of stains on the hard concrete.

Daniel narrowed his eyes. "Do you intend to clean that up?", he asked the young assistant pointedly.

The mousy woman looked at him, seemed to pondered his question and then shrugged her shoulders uninterested, before leaving the corridor altogether.

Daniel returned to his lab, banging his door for good measure. Well, he certainly wouldn't clean up that mess! But then his eyes fell on the photos once more and he forgot all about the young assistant. This was so much more important!

The next day Daniel went to Sam's lab, stepping through the shards of glass still lying in front of his lab without noticing, a bunch of photos in his hands, while he scribbled on them as he walked through the hallways.

"Sam?", he asked when he reached her lab without looking up to her. "How far have you come with the readings on the device?"

Her eyes didn't leave her laptop, when she answered: "I have the first report on it done."

"Really?", he inquired, while making a few notes on one symbol. "You wanted to send that to me?"

"Oh.", she shrugged, uncaring. "I guess I forgot. There's a printed-out copy lying on that work bench over there. Take it."

Daniel stepped over to the mentioned counter. There were two copies lying, one with a memo that read 'General Hammond' and another one with a note that said 'Colonel O'Neill', scribbled in Sam's handwriting. For a moment Daniel thought it strange that she would give him a copy intended for someone else, but then he found it wasn't his place to care. She could always print out another one. But he needed those readings for his work. So he took the one labelled 'Colonel O'Neill' and headed back, neither saying good-bye nor thanking Sam in any way. She didn't seem to realize, though. She didn't acknowledge in any way that he left her lab.

Another day later, Daniel was headed towards Janet's office. From Sam's report he knew that the Major had gotten the good Doctor on board with their analyses and Daniel was curious, if she had managed to make any progress in coming up what the device from P45-G98 was for. It still eluded him and he wasn't making any significant development in translating the language, either. But he couldn't stop working on it! It fascinated him as none other artifact had until now.

On his way to the infirmary the alarms for an incoming wormhole blared out with red light flashing through the corridors. Daniel raised a brow, waiting for Harriman's voice to announce "Unscheduled off-world activation", but it never came. Shrugging, Daniel continued on his way. Maybe the Chief Master Sergeant had taken a day off. Normally and in such cases, there had to be a replacement, but Daniel dismissed the thought. He really didn't care for the military ways right now. He had far more pressing things to do. This translation, for example.

The incessant shrieking of the alarms continued, even as Daniel stepped into the infirmary. He couldn't find Janet straightaway, so he settled to wait at her office. On his way there he passed two male nurses. Involuntarily, Daniel caught glimpses of their conversation. They weren't really trying to hold it between them, anyways.

One of them, a Sergeant, just complained to his friend, a Lieutenant: "I'd rather be at home, anyway. In a week my wife's due to give birth to our first child…"

The Lieutenant whistled sympathetically. "Didn't you apply for time off?"

The Sergeant sighed. "Yes, but we're lacking staff. The General told me I could go as soon as I got the word from my wife that the time has come, but still! I can't help but wish I'd be with her right now."

"I understand.", the Lieutenant agreed.

Suddenly, the Sergeant straightened up. "You know what? To hell with it. I'm going home!"

And with that he left the infirmary, hurrying towards the elevators. The Lieutenant looked after him unmoving, acting as if that was supposed to be normal behavior.

Tsk, Daniel remarked inwardly, Janet had had her staff under better control before. But then again, that wasn't his problem. His only concern right now was her medical expertise on the device…

On day four Daniel managed to not explode on Teal'c, when the loyal Jaffa strode into his lab, effectively interrupting Daniel's work.

"Daniel Jackson.", the large man greeted composed.

"What?", the archaeologist snapped gruffly.

"Have you seen O'Neill or Major Carter?"

At least the Jaffa came down to the point immediately. "No, I haven't.", Daniel brushed him off.

"I see.", Teal'c concluded and then made to leave. At the door frame he turned back. "Daniel Jackson? Does the general behavior of the people in this base seem strange to you?", he inquired with an almost noticeable amount of curiosity in his voice.

"Huh? No.", Daniel denied. He saw no need for him to watch the people's behavior, anyways.

Teal'c left without saying another word. Maybe he'd made some gesture, but without having looked at him, Daniel didn't know. He was just glad he'd gotten his usual calm back, so he could work!

Little did Daniel understand that he _should_ have paid better attention to the people's behavior. Because then he would have noticed. He would have noticed what was bound to become a problem…

SJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJ

"Carter!"

She actually jumped. Surprised, she turned around. "Sir!"

He stood leant against the door frame to her lab, an eyebrow raised at her jittery behavior. Then he strolled in, appearing as comfortable as if he owned the place. He stopped next to her and stared down at the object from P45-G98 that sat innocently on her desk, hooked up with uncountable wires to her faithful laptop. He frowned down at the peaceful artifact that seemed to imitate a desk lamp, illuminating her work place in a soft light.

Sighing, the Colonel raked a hand through his hair and then turned towards Sam. His dark eyes bored into her, and although Sam had the clear feeling that she was in for some reprimand, she couldn't help but acknowledge, how good he looked. His intense gaze lingering on her left her with an atypical urge to squirm, and suddenly she felt as if someone had raised the temperature in her lab. She felt a blush crawl onto her cheeks and in the same moment was annoyed with herself. God, she wasn't some teenager anymore! And over all, this was her _CO_ she was talking to, right now!

Get a grip, she told herself.

The Colonel crossed his arms over his chest and Sam's hold on her self-control immediately slipped; shoved to some unknown corner deep within her mind. God, it should be forbidden to see such a standard black BDU shirt seize so nicely around such strong biceps and curve so definitely over the muscular chest underneath…!

"Carter…!", the Colonel growled in warning, not picking up on her drifting thoughts.

Oh heaven, did he sound _alluring_, when he rounded in on her! Had he always sounded like that when scolding her…?

"Yes, sir?", she swallowed heavily.

"Please tell me you did _not_ spend the past four days holed up in your office working on _that!_", he demanded angrily, pointing accusingly at the guiltless artifact.

Sam gnawed on her cheek, careful that he didn't notice. Of course she had been here working on her newest project. In fact she had been completely captivated by the object. It had been the most fun a challenge had provided her for some time and she had thoroughly enjoyed herself. Somehow, though, she had the distinct impression that this would be the wrong thing to tell the Colonel.

"I did leave my lab, sir!", she assured him hastily. He narrowed his eyes on her suspiciously and, yeah, she should not find that so _hot_, should she?

"To sleep and eat?", he guessed.

"Yes.", she affirmed. At least occasionally. She may have spent a night or two here in her lab or forgotten a meal. Accidentally, of course.

"Regularly?", he prompted immediately and Sam couldn't meet his gaze. She was a bad liar and she couldn't lie to the Colonel even if her life depended on it. Apart from the fact that he would see through it straightaway, she would feel more than bad about it.

"Carter!", he threatened furiously, when she failed to answer. "For cryin' out loud! Do I _have_ to drag you out of here every damn time so you don't forget to eat?!"

Oh, she wouldn't mind him coming for her more often…! But dutifully, she answered: "No, sir."

"What were you thinking?", he fumed.

"Actually, sir…", she admitted. "I wasn't really thinking about it. I just had this overwhelming urge to solve the mystery around this object. I just couldn't stop working on it!"

And it was the truth. She had worked nonstop on it, engrossed in it for hours and hours on end. She literally had had no spare thought left for eating or sleeping. Solving the mystery of this artifact had seemed way too important to forego it for something as mundane as food or sleep. She had almost felt obsessed with the artifact.

The Colonel raised an eyebrow. "And? Any closer to resolvin' it?"

Dejected, Sam shook her head. "I have picked up on certain electromagnetic waves radiating from the object. They are light and harmless, but seem to permeate even the thickest materials. From my readings they've passed through the whole base and–"

Jack waved her off with an edgy movement. "Carter, I'm in no mood for another lecture!", he shut her down. "What does it do?"

"I don't know yet, sir.", she answered. "Janet and I are currently analyzing the effects and Daniel is still trying to translate the writings on it."

"Great. I see you've made a whole lot of progress…", the Colonel said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. Hm, his sarcasm. She had a soft spot for it.

Silence descended upon them, while Jack busied himself with shooting death glares at the offending item.

"So…", Sam drawled. "What brings you here, sir?"

At least he would have some reason for being here, wouldn't he?

"Well, since apparently my 2IC has forgotten that there's still a world outside her lab, I've come to remind her of that!", he grumbled with a familiar tone. Sam's gaze softened. He had been worried about her! Hah, she felt all warm at that realization.

"Did you miss me, sir?", she teased, before she became aware of what she had said.

Sam paled, when his head snapped up and his gaze locked on hers. Oh god, she hadn't just said that to her CO, had she…? Heaven help, how did she get out of this one?

She opened her mouth to do some damage-control, when he stepped closer, his eyes roaming her face intensely.

"What if I did?", he inquired.

Immediately something inside Sam shattered and warmth flooded through her. Had he really just said what she had understood? What about the distance they normally tried to maintain between them? This proverbial door they always slammed shut whenever something threatened to bubble to the surface?

"I'd be glad. I missed you, too.", her mouth was running away again without her brain catching up in time. But the moment she'd said it, she knew it was accurately true. She had really missed him and not just because she hadn't seen him for four days. In the last time, they had grown more and more distant, paradoxically because they had had become too close, and each day they remained at the strictly professional distance had made her miss his presence in her life even more. She missed the closeness they had.

Her eyes roamed his familiar face, taking in all his usual features. His whole attention was focused on her and for once, his eyes burned with feeling. Feelings for her.

Sam felt her eyelids fall half-closed and without noticing, her tongue darted out to wet her lips. Immediately his gaze zeroed in on her lips and he stepped even closer. Now he was standing near enough that her arm brushed his chest when she inhaled. God, where had all the oxygen gone? Sam had distinct trouble breathing.

Suddenly Jack reached out and with a complicated expression on his face ran his fingers over her cheek. Sighing contently, Sam leaned into his touch, savoring it.

"Sam…!", Jack murmured with a heavy, raspy voice. Oh, not Carter anymore! She shuddered warmly.

Then Sam looked up at him, her head feeling dizzily clouded. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew there was something wrong about what they were doing here, but in all honesty, she couldn't care less right now. Jack was here, with her, and finally the nearness between them was back. Not to mention the telltale tension…!

"Jack!", she answered thickly, hearing her own emotions and desire seep through in her voice.

All of a sudden, his face hardened, giving him a dangerous look. But before Sam could react or understand, he'd already descended on her.

With long, purposeful strides he'd backed her up against the nearest wall in her lab, his body closing her in against the cold concrete. Sam shivered in anticipation and hurriedly threw her arms around his neck, pulling him in closer. Their lips found each other with almost adept accuracy, crashing together with need. Jack didn't waste any time and pushed her mouth open to let his tongue slip in. Sam moaned eagerly and caressed his neck to show her approval and excitement about his rather surprising attack on her.

God, how long had she dreamed of this? How long had she tried to imagine, only to shut herself off, before she could go somewhere she wasn't supposed to go with even her thoughts?

But now there was no stopping. Although her attention was mostly occupied, Sam still realized that she was making out with her CO in her lab. And boy, did they make out! His hands were roving over her body, being everywhere at once. And her own hands were mirroring his, skipping over the muscles of his body, acquainting herself with him. Their tongues were continually fighting for dominance, making it hard for them to breathe.

He pushed closer to her, as if he couldn't stand the smallest of distance between them, and Sam felt the hard planes of his chest press against her upper body. She should feel caged in, but she didn't. Instead she reveled in the wonderful feeling of this strong man closing in on her, almost curling around her. His hips pushed against hers, one of his thighs slipping between her legs, when she adjusted her stance to accommodate their difference in height. She got on her toes to get closer and one of her hands took hold of his jaw to pull him impossibly closer. Her other hand fisted in the BDU shirt on his back, drawing him in to her even more.

Suddenly, he broke apart from her, breathing heavily. Sam could feel her own chest heave with the need for air and her head spun from the slight lack of oxygen, but she immediately missed his close proximity.

"Sam…!", he drawled, looking down on her with glazed eyes.

Sam possibly felt on top of the world when she saw the emotion dancing through his expressive eyes. For once he didn't hold anything back, but let her see it. She smiled up at him, encouraging as much as appreciating.

He was just about to round in on her once more, when a sudden, unexpected thought made her pull back. Could it be…? Was this somehow… wrong? She had the distinct feeling that they shouldn't do this… But why? It felt so amazingly good! Surely something feeling so very right couldn't be wrong?

Confused, she laid her forehead against his, effectively stopping him from coming any nearer to her. "Jack… I feel like… we shouldn't be doing this…!", she explained, while inhaling deeply, trying to bring her tumbling thoughts back on track.

Yeah, now she was sure. That thought had occurred to her, before. Somewhere. Some when. But astonishingly, she didn't feel any need right now to get to the bottom of it. At all. The only thing that counted was he. Them. Them being together. Right now.

"Frankly, I don't care!", he told her bluntly, before he let one of his hands trail over her throat and collarbone, while the other went around her waist to cup her six and press her even tighter against his hip. Sam's eyes fluttered close, while an involuntary groan escaped her lips, when she felt an unmistakable sign of his _interest_ in her press against her. And there went her rationality…

Smiling appreciatively, she shoved her hands under his shirt, caressing his stomach. "Apparently, me either.", she stated, before he caught her mouth once again in a passionate, heated kiss.

Sighing, which soon turned into a moan, Sam gave up on the thought that had just seemed urgent, somehow. She wanted him. Just as much as he wanted her. Glad, they agreed on this one, Sam pondered idly, before all her conscious thoughts were drained away and pure instinct and feeling took over.

SJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJ

Daniel rushed down the corridors of the SGC with an alarmed expression on his face. He had to get to General Hammond, and he needed to get there fast! About the lines of yesterday, preferably.

Daniel passed the control room and froze momentarily. Sergeants Harriman and Siler were sitting there, patiently playing a game of chess, the chess board placed on top of the invaluable computer controls that monitored the Stargate, with Siler having his feet thrown up at the keyboard, while Harriman contemplated his next move carefully. Neither of them even spared a glance at the monitors they were supposed to oversee.

Next to them Lieutenant Simmons was immerged in writing a letter, scribbling down furiously, before erasing it again, muttering under his breath something like "No, it has to be more specific!" and "Would she like to hear that?". Daniel was afraid to even imagine, what or more precisely, _who_ the Lieutenant addressed with his letter. Jack would undoubtedly pop a vessel, if he knew that!

But it matched. Daniel was aware it matched the picture of slow insanity that had taken over the SGC. On his way to General Hammond's office he had passed SG-2 playing soccer in the commissary, Janet Fraiser on her way out, claiming to be in dire need of a vacation with her daughter, Doctor Felger looking up wedding rings on the internet with a dreamy expression on his face, two nurses running down a hallway giggling for some reason Daniel didn't even want to know, and Colonel Dixon ignoring his work phone as well as his cell phone which rang with the timely precision that told Daniel that the Colonel's much-beloved wife was calling.

To be honest, it was bizarre to no end. Nobody was actually working anymore. No phone calls were answered, no e-mails read. No one monitored the Stargate or even bothered to acknowledge it, when the alarms for off-world activation blared out. Two SG teams had already returned without so much as anyone batting an eyelash or even thinking of closing the iris, until they had confirmed it wasn't an enemy that was knocking on their door! In fact the iris stayed wide open, no one bothering to close it, so that anyone and anything had every possibility to get into the SGC. Moreover, neither of the arriving SG teams was debriefed or examined post-mission. In short, nothing was going as it should.

It had all gotten out of hand, and frankly, Daniel felt as if he was the only one still sane on this base.

He didn't know, how or when it had all begun, because he'd been holed up in his lab without a break, but he suspected he had managed to find out the cause, _why_ these strange occurrences happened, even if he assumed it to be pure coincidence. All in all, it had taken him a week of working ceaselessly, without a break, until he found out, but eventually he did. But when he tried to rush to Sam and tell her of his discovery, he couldn't find her anywhere. Daniel had searched in all places he could vaguely imagine Sam to be, but she seemed to have disappeared. Then Daniel tried to find Jack but with the same outcome. Both officers seemed to have vanished, although Daniel had at least gotten out of the bored airman at the entrance that they hadn't left the base.

Still, Daniel feared he didn't have the time to comb through the whole SGC, before some catastrophe was bound to happen, so he decided to go straight to General Hammond.  
Rushing into the General's office, Daniel was once more presented with a strange picture. Humming happily, the General appeared to be packing…!

"Um, going somewhere, General?", Daniel inquired cautiously.

The General looked up, smiling widely. "Yes, indeed, Dr. Jackson. I'm going on a vacation with my granddaughters!"

Daniel swallowed audibly. "Now? You can't go now, General! We're having problems here!"

The General waved him off carelessly. "What problems, Dr. Jackson? Everything is going as it normally does. They can manage without me for a week or two."

"No, General, this won't do!", Daniel contradicted. "Actually nobody's working here anymore! Nothing gets done!"

The General sighed, but then said: "Well, I can understand my men. It's really not interesting to watch a huge metal ring all day! And being under the earth for such a long time gets depressing. Let them have their fun!"

"Let them…?!", Daniel echoed flabbergasted. "General, we're at the front lines here! Enemies could come here anytime and nobody would stop them right now!"

Daniel couldn't believe it that he, of all people, had to say this to a man of the military!

"Yes.", the General nodded thoughtfully. "Maybe they should just take over earth, then we'd be freed of this hassle and could do whatever we want!"

"Take over?!", Daniel nearly choked on the words. "General, you have to understand! This isn't really you talking here! It's the object! We're all under alien influence!"

"I don't really understand?", the General admitted, sounding only mildly interested. Daniel could see that his attention was already on his forthcoming vacation with his family and he knew he had to seize this chance. It probably was the last he'd get!

"General, it's the artifact SG-6 brought with them from P45-G98!", Daniel explained hastily. "I finally found out what it is used for! It's an object given traditionally as a gift, because it ensures happiness! It reveals the user's wishes and desires and makes them act on them, so they will become happy! But I fear it has seriously gotten out of hand here! We can't handle it anymore!"

The General's forehead creased gloomily as if Daniel had just spit into his soup. Which, figuratively speaking, he probably had.

The General seemed to wrestle with some thought, before, finally, military training and the sense of urge Daniel emanated, seemed to win.

"What do you suggest we do, Doctor?", he asked with visible strain.

Daniel resisted the urge to sigh relieved. They weren't safe yet. "From what Sam has detected, the radiation from the object is able to pierce through any material. So we have to get it away from the base. Probably even from this planet. I suggest returning it to the people of P45-G98."

The General nodded. "Assemble SG-1 and do it.", he ordered.

Daniel winced. "Ah, there's a little problem, General. I haven't been able to get a hold on Jack or Sam…"

The General looked confused, but then seemed to remember the situation they were in. "Well, I'd say we don't have the time to wait for them to surface. Take Teal'c with you."

Daniel nodded and shot out of the door, intend on going through with the order immediately. The faster they got rid of this thing, the better!

SJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJ

Teal'c stepped out of the audio vision room calmly. Finally he had finished going through the video material they had on the recently passed days.

As the only one unaffected by the artifact's impact due to the Goa'uld larva in his stomach, General Hammond had ordered him to look through all material they had on the past days and determine what each person had been doing under the influence of this alien artifact. The General had to know, if there had been any serious breaches of protocol he would have to report. If the Jaffa didn't find anything the President was willing to let it slip, because for now it seemed as if the SGC's personnel had only acted out minor desires like skipping their work and playing instead.

The Jaffa raised a brow, when he stepped out into the hallway only to find SG-1 assembled there. Daniel was sitting at the cold ground, while Jack and Sam leaned against the wall next to each other.

"Daniel Jackson. Major Carter. O'Neill.", Teal'c greeted composed.

"T! You finally finished?", Jack inquired.

Teal'c inclined his head in affirmation. "Did you wait for me?", he asked.

"Of course.", Daniel said warmly and Sam smiled to that: "We weren't allowed to help you, so we thought, we could at least show some moral support."

"Yeah, and General Hammond only allows us back on the roaster, when you're finished.", Jack added.

"Jack!", Daniel admonished.

"What? It's true!", the Colonel defended himself.

"Still, you didn't have to…!", Daniel rounded in on the other man, but Jack shooed him away, ticked off.

Teal'c smiled slightly at their usual antics. "So has all gone back to the way it has been?", he inquired.

"Yes.", Sam confirmed. "Thanks to Daniel."

Daniel looked smugly at Jack from Sam's praise and the older man rolled his eyes. "Now that we're talking about it…", Jack began, turning towards Daniel with a curious gaze. "I understand Teal'c, but how come, you weren't infected by that alien technology?"

Daniel scratched his head. "Um, to be exact, I was infected. But when it happened, I was studying the artifact and I really wanted to find out, what it was doing, so my desire for knowledge got enhanced by the artifact."

"So, do I get this right?", Jack drawled. "You only happened to find out, because you were obsessed with your work? And it made you _happy_ to study that thing?"

"Something like that.", Daniel admitted.

"For cryin' out loud, Danny-boy, get a life!"

Daniel scowled at the Colonel. "Hey, I'm surprised Sam wasn't the first one to find it out!", he defended himself. "After all, she was also studying the artifact!"

All eyes shifted towards Sam and the Major swallowed uncomfortably. "Yeah, well, I got… distracted.", she evaded.

"Really?", Daniel asked curiously. "What did you do under the influence of this alien technology?"

Sam turned endearingly red. "I was… sleeping.", she exclaimed.

"Sleeping…?", Daniel echoed surprised.

"Yes.", Sam confirmed and the Colonel chuckled to it. She shot him a withering glance.

"Then you must have been in dire need of a break, if you slept through the last days.", Teal'c concluded, effectively ending the topic.

"Probably.", Sam eluded vaguely, her blush deepening almost unnoticeably.

Again the Colonel snorted and Daniel turned for him. "What did you do, Jack?", he wanted to know.

"Me?", the Colonel questioned, pointing at himself.

"Yeah, you.", Daniel affirmed.

The Colonel inhaled deeply and then a playful grin spread over his face. "Oh, I've been doing some… physical exercises I haven't participated in for a while…", he stated. Sam practically choked at his words and Daniel threw a bewildered glance at her. But when she didn't say anything further, the archaeologist decided to let it drop and bother Jack instead.

"Physical exercises?", he inquired confused. "Like what? Some sort of sports?"

Jack smiled smugly. "You could say that.", he drawled.

"Sports?", the linguist probed anew, still sounding puzzled.

"Yes, Daniel, sports.", Jack said in a certain, definite tone that normally ended their conversation.

"Really? Sports?", Daniel couldn't just let it go.

"Am I not makin' myself clear here…?", Jack quipped. "What's so hard to understand about that?"

"I… I just can't picture it!", Daniel admitted. "I mean, what were you doing? Playing baseball with yourself in your quarters…?"

Jack rolled his eyes at the archaeologist and bickering with each other, they began to walk down the hallway.

Sighing, Sam stepped up to Teal'c. Looking up at him warmly, she stated: "It's good to have SG-1 complete once again."

Teal'c nodded, before turning towards her. "Major Carter."

"Yes?"

Teal'c reached into his pocket and pulled out a video tape, handing it over to Sam. Puzzled, she looked at it, then at the large Jaffa.

"While I logically understand the Tau'ri's reason for such things as regulations I still am dissatisfied with the one that is refusing you and O'Neill to act on your feelings. And while you both clearly were under the influence of alien technology, I do not wish for any of your reputations to be tarnished, so I am terribly sorry to have to inform you that a part of the audiovisual footage concerning the last days has irretrievably vanished."

Sam gaped at him and the Jaffa smiled down at her secretly.

"I believe it may be due to the fact that the audiovisual room was unmanned for an uncertain amount of time. The equipment was not adequately monitored.", Teal'c continued as if musing out loud.

"Thank you, Teal'c.", Sam said, swallowing hoarsely. "We… we've been both prepared to get court-martialed for it…! We have… I have…"

"I understand, Major Carter.", Teal'c interrupted her calmly. "However, while I remain loyal to General Hammond and have obediently followed his order, I feel it is my duty to ensure that two of the most capable officers in the Stargate Program, who are link to many allies throughout the universe, the Free Jaffa included, will not be removed. It is, as I believe you say, in the greater good."

With tears glistening in her eyes, Sam whispered: "Thank you, my friend.". Teal'c nodded.

Jack took this exact moment to glance back over his shoulder, while Daniel next to him rambled on and on about something. Sam waved shortly towards him with the video tape, before letting it disappear under her wide BDU jacket. Jack's eyes widened surprised and his gaze shot over to Teal'c, who glanced back reassuringly. Then Jack smiled relieved, relaxing visibly.

Without bothering with Daniel, Jack let himself fall back, until he walked next to Sam, clapping Teal'c on the shoulder in a silent thank-you, when the Jaffa passed him. Teal'c and Daniel carried on, heading towards General Hammond's office to report that nothing _unusual_ had happened during the whole incident, while Jack fell in step next to Sam.

"So…", Jack drawled. "The only copy?"

"Yes, sir.", Sam answered confidently.

He grinned at her wolfishly. "Show me some time?", he suggested playfully.

"Depends.", she replied coyly.

"Really? On what?", he immediately wanted to know.

"Whether there'll be a time, we'll be allowed to watch this.", she explained, hinting at their not-really-existing relationship.

"Some time, Sam, some time.", he guaranteed her assuredly.

She smiled, trying her best not to yearn for it. Those past few days had been heaven and it had definitely shown her what she was missing out on. "I hope so.", she clarified.

Jack patted her shoulder and then quickened his pace to catch up with Daniel and Teal'c. Sam followed him, although at a more sedate pace.

Suddenly, Jack turned back towards her. "Oh, and Carter?", he asked with the slightest tinge of insecurity.

"Yes, sir?", she inquired, trying her best to not let her disappointment sound out, when he demoted her from 'Sam' back to 'Carter'.

"We're still good?", he wanted to know.

This time, she smiled. Wide and honest. "Oh, never been better, sir!"


	5. Words

_**Author's note:**__ As usual, thanks for all your kind reactions!_

_This is kind of a companion piece to "The fifth race", as it makes references to this episode. But it's only very loosely connected and it has never been intended as an episode tag in the first place.  
However, in this, Jack gets to say something very important…_

_**Around the regs**_

_Chapter Five: Words_

Leaning forwards onto the messy desk, Jack scribbled onto the paper in front of him furiously. The room was unnervingly silent, as if everyone held their breath. It was distracting him. Given, it would also distract him, if they were speaking, but this pointed silence wasn't that much better. It only served to make him wonder, what they were doing.

Raising an eyebrow questioningly, he turned towards his friends. Teal'c was standing in a corner of Daniel's lab, observing everything silently, but otherwise not interfering. It was as unintrusive as it could get, and the Colonel was tempted to point the Jaffa out as an example. Too bad nobody would understand him anyways, so there really was no point in telling them…

Daniel on the other hand was balancing five books about ancient Latin in his arms at the same time, while looking at the notes he had taken of everything Jack had uttered until now. Mumbling incoherently under his breath, Daniel glanced towards Jack from time to time, when he had translated something, as if he was trying to judge, if the Colonel would actually say something along those lines.  
Hey, he didn't ask to speak in another, unknown language not even Daniel had heard about before! It was frustrating to no end that, while he could still understand his friends, neither of them could make hands or feet out of what he was saying or doing!

Jack glanced over to the last one of their little group that had holed up in Daniel's lab. Sam was standing right next to him, looking over his shoulder at his notes with a puzzled expression on her face. Her brows were scrunched together tightly, while she tried to decipher what he was doing. On one hand she seemed excited by the challenge and on the other hand frustrated that she didn't make any progress in her mission to help him.

Heh, if it wouldn't be his sanity that was on stake here, he would have seriously enjoyed the fact that, for once – and probably the only time – he had outsmarted Sam Carter! He, Colonel Jack O'Neill, had produced something that the SGC's brainy prodigy couldn't understand! True, he didn't understand it either, but essentially he had created something – which would even work, he was sure of it, he just had to build it yet – that went over Doctor Samantha Carter's head. Oh, he would so rub it in her face – when he got his own language back…

Next to him, Sam shifted and her side brushed his shoulder. She wasn't aware of it, because she was still fixated on the hasty notes he had jotted down, but he became overly aware of her close presence. Her scent wafted over to him and from his position he had a clear view on her neck, where she played with the chain of her dog tags absentmindedly, and her face, where he was immediately captured by the familiar picture of his 2IC worrying her lower lip in deep thought. _God_, had anyone ever told her how amazingly _hot_ that was…?

Now completely distracted he watched her suck her lower lip in for a moment, before her white teeth were continuing to nibble on it. He knew it was subconscious doing on her part, but whenever she did it, she effectively managed to shut down all thinking processes on his part. Even now, he was blissfully ripped from all the ancient mathematic formulas doing flip-flops in his head. Finally, there was _nothing_ in his over-active mind. His attention on nothing but her lips. Talk about the irony here!

Suddenly, Sam's tongue peeked out to wet the abused lower lip. Jack nearly groaned. So _hot_! "Tamas ardensa…", he whispered, before he could stop himself.

Immediately, three pairs of eyes settled onto him and Jack barely managed to keep his blank, detached and straightforward expression in place. God, talk about embarrassing! _Thank you_, brain!

"Sir?", Sam asked, confusion written all over her face.

The hell he would repeat that out loud! Warily Jack glanced at Daniel, who was furiously ploughing through his books in search of an adequate translation.

"_Tamas_… _tamas_… _tam, tame_… 'so'? And what was the other word? _Ardensa_? _Ardens_… 'hot'? So hot?", Daniel tried, his calculating gaze turning on Jack.

The Colonel clung to his blank soldier-face, not reacting to the translation with any visible sign.

Sam turned towards him, concern evident in her whole behavior. "Is it too hot in here for you?", she inquired. "Should I turn on air conditioning?"

Jack rolled his eyes. He wasn't sure if he should be glad that they still managed to misunderstand him, even when they had the correct translation, or whack them over the head for missing out on the obvious.

He settled for turning towards his notes once more, dismissing the entire topic. Sam shuffled uncertain next to him, but when he didn't say anything further, she opted to stay by his side, since she wasn't sure what he wanted her to do anyways. But, to his dismay, she also stopped gnawing on her lip. Too bad. It was such a sight!

But then another thought dawned on him. They didn't understand him! Whatever he said, they didn't know! At least, until Daniel came up with a translation.

He could basically say whatever he wanted without any consequences. He could call Daniel an idiot – or something a little bit more elaborate so the linguist would have some difficulties finding the correct translation. He could tell a few people what he really thought about them without having to fear any repercussions it could have for his career. He could give the Napoleonic power monger hell without having to fear the next physical, or he could finally tell Lieutenant Simmons that he was not so subtle in fawning over _his_ 2IC as he probably thought.

Or, speaking of her, he could…

Jack glanced to the side, where Sam had leaned forwards onto her elbows to study the sheet of paper that lay directly in between them. Her eyes were fixed on the pen he was fiddling with, as if she expected him to scribble something down any minute.

When she felt his eyes on her, she looked up and he was presented with her baby-blues he was a total sucker for.

"Tu anes fabulosias.", Jack murmured sincerely. _You are incredible_. He really meant it. He had wanted to tell her on so many occasions, but every time something or someone had interrupted and the moment had passed and his appreciation of whatever wonder she had just made possible went unsaid. Never had it been appropriate to voice his feelings and while the moment now still wasn't really suiting the occasion at least he could finally tell her. Somehow.

Sam cocked her head to the side, her eyes and the questioning look on her face telling him that she, naturally, didn't understand a word.

He could feel his own face soften with the knowledge of what he had just admitted to her, even when she didn't know.

"Tua ardereo ego.", he continued earnestly, but quietly. _I adore you_. Well, at least it was nothing he hadn't said to her before, even if not quite like that. But the fact that there would be no consequences – and in all honesty, that she didn't know what he was saying – was giving him the courage to finally say it with the appropriate emotion behind it.

"Sir?", she questioned confused.

"Tua ardereo ego.", he repeated amused, feeling somehow freed, now that he could finally tell her what he had been gulping down on way too many occasions.

By now utter bewilderment was shining from Sam's face and helplessly she tried to find any clue to what he was talking about. Jack felt the strangest urge to laugh out loud. He loved it how her emotions were practically lighting up her face, shining clearly visible out for him to see. And, admittedly, by now Sam looked about to wring her hands in frustration, feeling obviously absolutely powerless. She was distressing over his confessions as it was.

"Daniel?", she called out for help, when she effectively failed to come up with a solution to what he was trying to convey to her.

Jack glanced over his shoulder to the archaeologist, who was frantically digging through his books for a translation.

"Haven't found anything yet.", the linguist reported, but the glance he shot at Jack left the soldier skeptical. Did Daniel suspect something? After all he hadn't really used any complicated words. They couldn't be that hard to find, could they?

"Please try.", Sam begged. "Maybe it was something important? Something that could help us help the Colonel!"

Daniel rolled his eyes in an _I-so-doubt-that_-expression, but he complied with Sam.

By now Jack really had his fun with the situation. Sam didn't understand a word and he could finally get some things off his soul that had been rotting away there, fighting stubbornly to see light. Teal'c could make nothing out of the situation and stayed out of it, even if he paid close attention. And Daniel? Daniel was clearly suspecting him, maybe even understood him, but the archaeologist would say nothing. Jack was sure of it. His friend would keep his secret. After all, he knew Jack's dilemma as good as Jack himself.

Jack turned his head back to Sam and immediately she copied the movement so she was gazing back at him once more. With all honesty and gentleness he could muster, Jack told her strongly and persuasively: "Tua ameo ego."

_I love you_. It was what he had always wished to tell her someday, but never was allowed to. It was what he always tried to show her with little gestures, hoping she understood, but hell did it feel good to finally say the words out loud! Even though he only could, because she wasn't aware what he was saying anyways.

Daniel choked. And Sam's eyes were desperately searching his face for even the tiniest hint on what he was talking about. "Colonel, I don't understand!", she whispered dejectedly. "Daniel?", she called out once more, hoping for help.

"I have no idea!", the archaeologist hurried to assure her, not even pretending to search for a translation. Jack knew, he'd caught on, but he knew just as precisely that Daniel wouldn't give him away. He knew as much as Jack himself did what was at stake.

But Sam didn't pick up on it. Instead, she turned back towards Jack. "Is it important?", she inquired.

Was it…? Yeah, he'd say. So he nodded.

"Maybe you could tell me… when you've recovered?", she suggested.

Jack sighed. _If_ he would recover, then he couldn't tell her. Ever. Ironically, it was only this special situation that let him tell her of his feelings. He could only confess to her, because he was speaking a language nobody understood and thus couldn't know, what exactly he _was_ saying…  
And it was only this certain situation, with death looming just around the corner for him, that he'd actually allowed himself say the words out loud. Because chances were high, it was the last chance he'd get…

He looked at her and tried to smile reassuringly, knowing that it would turn out quite strained. She was focusing on rescuing him, even fighting to recognize the possibility he might die in her thoughts. She was nowhere even remotely close to where he was. Their priorities were vastly different, right now. Her focus was on finding a possibility to get him through this alive. What would she care about a few words he'd voiced, when she didn't understand anything he said anyways? Whether he would get out of it alive or not, she would be distracted enough with the outcome to forget about this moment here. After all, she didn't know of its importance. So he knew one thing for sure. They wouldn't talk about it at all. She would never know.  
But then again, wasn't this what this had been all about in the first place? She never was supposed to know.

Jack nodded vaguely in a noncommittal response to her question, and Sam exhaled relieved. And when she went back to the work at hand, Jack could see Daniel's sad, sympathetic expression over Sam's shoulder. Another missed opportunity, Jack realized.

But still, that was all how it was supposed to be. As their situation was right now, there was nothing he could do. She couldn't know. It would be better for her, better for them and better for their whole situation if she didn't know. So how come he suddenly felt upset; empty and hollow that she was unable to understand the words he had said? Why did he suddenly wish her to have understood…?

* * *

_**A/N:**__ I always wondered how I could make Jack spill _the_ words. Turned out to be quite difficult with the way I see his character. He's not one to talk about feelings, ever. But this I thought would match him perfectly.  
There's another chapter soon to come, where Sam will get her chance at confessing, too…_

_Oh, and of course, I know NOTHING about the Ancient language or Latin. So this is completely made up._


	6. Training

_**Author's notes**__: Again, thanks for all your support! And this time, I'd like to especially thank all those reviewers, who took the time to comment on my random ramblings in the author's notes, and who gave me an honest feedback on my writing skills, my character design and my way of devising chapters. That really helps me a lot!_

_So, this time, it's a chapter that is set somewhere at the beginning, where Sam and Jack just get aware of their attraction to each other. And Jack gets to fight Sam's feminist traits. Amongst other things…_

_**Around the regs**_

_Chapter Six: Training_

"I _still_ think, this qualifies as one of your worst ideas!", Daniel grumbled, pouting.

Jack rolled his eyes exasperated and did his best to not let the irritation he felt seep through into his words. "Noted, Danny-boy. Just like the last three times you've said it in the last two minutes!"

The archaeologist began fiddling with the hem of his old t-shirt, while shifting from one foot to the other, his sneakers emitting humbly squeaking sounds on the old linoleum floor. Jack laced up his worn-out training shoes, when his friend tried anew: "I just don't see, how this would–"

Jack's head snapped up, his annoyance by now getting the best of him. "_Because_, dear Daniel, Teal'c and I won't be around every time you've managed to get yourself in trouble to pull your sorry ass out of it! So you _will_ learn at least the very basics of self-defense! You got me?", he snapped.

Daniel sulked, crossing his arms over his chest, but he refrained from contradicting Jack again. The archaeologist shot a quick glance at Teal'c, but the stoic Jaffa did not let on that he was in any way not agreeing with Jack, so Daniel didn't even try for his support. Jack was glad for it. He was already discussing this topic with Space-monkey since he'd announced this morning that Daniel needed training. And he was not letting up, no matter what Daniel or whoever else – aside from maybe Hammond, but he'd agreed the last time Jack had spoken to him – might say.

They had just come back from a mission that had been a hairsbreadth away from going spectacularly downhill, because the archaeologist couldn't defend himself for the life of him. So Jack had decided that enough was enough. Daniel was a security risk, if the Colonel couldn't depend on the other man to at least keep himself out of harm's way long enough for backup to arrive. And there may come a time, when he or Teal'c might be unable to be at his side, so if the archaeologist wanted to remain at the front lines, he'd have to undergo basic training. And Jack was determined to drill it into his friend if need be.

Sam coughed pointedly next to the now rather subdued linguist.

Jack raised an eyebrow and looked over to his 2IC. He immediately regretted it. There had been a reason he'd avoided looking at her until now, he was instantly reminded.

Sam stood confidently next to Daniel, clad in one of the SGC's standard black tops that left her arms and shoulders free to admire, and tight black sport shorts that hugged her hips and legs down to her knees like a second skin, leaving literally nothing to the imagination. Down to her feet, which stuck in old, used training shoes, her legs were free of any clothing, her pale skin seemingly taunting him, making him yearn secretly to touch it to see if it was as soft as it looked. She was revealing much too much leg – covered or not – to not get thoroughly distracted by it, Jack feared.

Jack's subtle regard of her was interrupted by her foot tapping irritated on the gym's floor. He looked up and was instantly greeted with her blue eyes, blazing with annoyance. He was taken by surprise. He couldn't think of anything he'd done that could have set her off.

"You've got something to say, Carter?", he inquired languidly.

"What about me, sir?", she inquired, crossing her arms over her chest as if she was preparing for a heated discussion.

Jack was confused. "What about you?", he echoed.

She huffed infuriated. "You said, you or Teal'c couldn't protect Daniel every time.", she clarified. "What about me, sir? Am I not fit to defend my teammate?"

Jack nearly sighed. God, she had to stop searching for signs that they – or he – deemed women weaker than men. He'd not, in any way, meant it like that!

"Carter, that's not what I said!", he grumbled, a part of his irritation from having to drag Daniel to the gym almost kicking and screaming seeped into his voice, while talking to her.

He trusted her to have his back, so there was no way he would think she couldn't help Daniel out. He'd seen her in the field and knew of her abilities. There was no way she couldn't bail Daniel out of a mess. It just happened seldom that she had to watch the archaeologist's six. Because whenever the team split up, Jack normally assigned Daniel to accompany him or Teal'c and Sam to the other team. It made sense since it provided each team with a scientist, who had the brains and the diplomatic skills to get them out of tight spots if necessary. So it mostly were himself and Teal'c, who had to come to Daniel's rescue.

Sam glared at him, not convinced. Normally he really liked her guts, but she jumped way too easy on such misunderstandings, feeling the ridiculous need to prove herself. She had nothing to prove in his opinion, but apparently she wasn't aware.

Jack's patience was already pretty drained from having to deal with the persistent Daniel, so by now he really lacked the energy and was in no mood to accommodate her feminist traits. "Carter, I'm not doubting your abilities here!", he assured her.

She didn't answer, but raised an eyebrow skeptically. It came as close to questioning him as she dared without fearing to be insubordinate. And Jack understood it perfectly. He already knew her little signs way too well. "Have anything to add?", he questioned, much too sweet. "Don't hold back on my account."

She seemed to think for a moment. Jack could clearly see her desire to explicate, but she did pick up on the little signs as well. Jack was aware that he had straightened up and stepped into her personal space, exuding every bit the pissed off superior officer who was about to teach a subordinate a lesson. Next to them Daniel was shifting nervously, obviously trying to decide if he should interfere or not.

Jack could see the moment she'd made up her mind. "You don't trust my close combat skills, sir.", she accused, stressing the fact that she pointed a specific set of skills out. So she at least knew he trusted her fighting abilities, but she felt only to a certain amount. She felt she still had to prove herself in close combat.

"Nonsense!", he brushed her off brusquely.

"Oh, is it, sir?", she insisted. "Is that why you never leave Daniel in my care, when you split the team up?"

Now Jack was seriously getting angry. He was mildly surprised she'd noticed, but then again they were talking about Carter here. No, he was furious about her drawing the wrong conclusion and still having the guts to throw it in his face angrily, twisting his actions into something far away from the actual intention.

He got into her face, staring down at her infuriated. She didn't back down and while normally he loved her wits and stubbornness, right now it was adding fuel to the fire. "I don't have to justify my decisions to you, Captain!", he snapped.

She seemed hurt by that. Not so much by his accusation, he knew, but rather by the fact that he seemed unwilling to explain himself to her and merely brushed her off. Because he was unwilling to tend to her insecurities, when all he'd done until now was always reassuring her in any way he could.

"So you think, you've got something to prove?", he growled and then challenged her: "Then show me!"

He nodded towards the training mats lying close by on the gym's floor. Again he saw insecurity flickering over her face, her eyes quickly traveling over him, trying to estimate her chances against him. He knew that right now she was well aware of the gap between them. Not only was he special-forces-trained and had years of experience ahead of her, he also had the advantage of height, weight and strength.

A sardonic smile crossed his face. "Losing nerve already, Carter?", he mocked, trying to get her to stop thinking.

He knew it had worked the moment steely resolve began showing in her face. He had counted on the fact that she would never back down from a challenge, even less from one a man had thrown at her. It worked for him. He could show her she had nothing to worry about.

Her back straightened and the fists at her sides clenched tensely. Without a word she stepped up to him and together they sauntered over to the training mats, a heavy silence settling in between them.

They had just taken up position in the middle of the mats, when Daniel tried to intercept them in a so obvious attempt that Jack nearly laughed. "Um, wasn't I supposed to learn something…?", he addressed Jack.

Jack almost pitied the archaeologist. He knew it went against his convictions to harm something or someone. He had begrudgingly accepted that he had to learn how to handle a weapon and even more begrudgingly he used it in battles, when all of his attempts at finding a peaceful solution failed. Jack knew his friend felt tremendous guilt over every life he took and thus he avoided using lethal force wherever he could. So Jack wasn't really surprised at being met with resistance when he'd roped Daniel into learning close combat. Just the thought of having to harm someone with his bare hands had to make the younger man sick. So Daniel actually suggesting that Jack taught him fighting techniques was a so desperate attempt at trying to get Jack and Sam off each other's throats that Jack was tempted to go over and pat the other man's shoulder in reassurance. But right now he had another subordinate he needed to teach a lesson.

"Teal'c!", he called out. "Teach Danny the basics!"

"Ah…! That was not…!", Daniel tried, but Jack ignored him.

Teal'c stepped up to them and gently led the archaeologist away to another corner, where he could explain the essential fundamentals to him without getting in Jack's or Sam's way.

Jack followed them out of the corner of his eyes, before he returned his attention to his own training session. Sam had gotten ready for the oncoming fight and he took a moment to study her stance. Hm, not that bad, he mused silently, while positioning himself. She stood loosely, but firmly. He could see that she had her weak points covered. Her balance seemed stable and she was able to move in any direction if need be. Whoever her close combat trainer had been in the academy, Jack silently congratulated him on the fabulous work. Her stance was secure, not easily swayed, and it was as close to the example as it probably got.  
Still, his analytic mind was already spitting out possible scenarios how he could get her to relinquish her stance, so he'd be able to take her down. As a well-trained and experienced soldier he knew a few tricks and ways she didn't know of and wouldn't expect. But he wouldn't use them. Yet.

"No holding back, Carter!", he demanded on the spur of the moment.

He saw relief pass over her face and knew immediately that it had been a concern of her. He knew she wouldn't be able to concentrate on their fight, if she was worrying about a court-martial in the back of her head. Thank god he'd thought of it in time. He needed her to go all out.

She nodded and he saw her consciously checking her stance, adjusting her feet slightly, so she wouldn't give him any advantage. She was preparing for him coming at her.

Well, he thought, who was he to disappoint her? So Jack didn't even bother to get in a secure stance. With three wide steps he crossed the distance between them, rushing at her. He saw her eyes widen in surprise and then her muscles tense. She hadn't expected him to launch an attack so fast, he could read it in her concentrated expression.

Jack threw himself at her frontally, swinging his right arm at her in an obvious, good foreseeable attack. It was deliberate that he was not going for a particularly stealthy approach. He wanted to test to her; to see what she was capable of. Still, he didn't want to hurt her, so he didn't make a fist, in case he'd accidentally hit her. Instead he tensed up his fingers to avoid hurting himself and thrust his open palm at her.

Sam diverted his attack with ease, using his own force to ward off his arm. He was thrown off to her right side, but Jack had anticipated this move and hadn't put as much strength into the attack as it had seemed. He managed to catch himself immediately and used his momentum she had directed to his left side to turn around, momentarily presenting his back to her and then swinging his left elbow towards her temple.

Sam ducked, her breath hitching in concentration. But because he took up most of the space in front of her she had to bend backwards, if she wanted to avoid greeting his elbow with her nose. She was cautious to not overbalance, but now it was easy for him to add the last bit it took for her to tip over and go down. She thumped onto the mats audibly, her breath leaving her lungs from the fall, but she didn't take the time to recuperate. She used the vigor of her fall to roll over her head and onto her feet, now kneeling on the mats.

He followed her, looking for another opportunity to attack her, when she suddenly launched out, kicking her left leg towards his right, while stabilizing herself with her hands on the mats. Jack immediately saw that she was aiming for the hollow of his knee to bring him down, so he adjusted his stand appropriately. Her leg connected with his right thigh in a highly painful way, but he didn't falter. He grunted surprised. She really hadn't held back. And although pain danced through his thigh in a distracting way, he felt strangely proud of her.

She huffed infuriated at him deflecting her attack and, like a cat, she swung gracefully around, shooting up with her elbow going for his stomach. Jack turned his upper body at the last minute, twisting out of her reach. Sam stumbled past him, gasping annoyed. Obviously she hadn't expected him to react so fast.

Jack had to give her credit. She was good. Better than he had expected her to be from her age and the few times he had had the chance to see her in hand-to-hand-combat. Her stance was firm, her attacks fluid, her reactions fast and her instincts wide-awake. She adjusted fast during the fight and gave him as few opportunities to get a hit in as she could. She'd do good, very good against most opponents, he thought. But well, he'd fought better ones already and come out of it victorious.

Sam swung around, aiming for a high kick. Jack protected his side with his right arm and this time he was prepared for the painful impact. Immediately his arm began to throb, but he ignored it. Instead he went in instantly and kicked her standing leg out under her. Again, Sam hit the mats with a dull thud. He noticed that she still managed to protect her tender spots like the head. Very good.

She groaned and lifted herself up, a little slower this time. He gave her the time, circling her with purposeful strides, but staying at a certain distance. She stood up and checked her arm, and for a moment he wondered if he'd hurt her. But she dismissed it wordlessly.

Then she came at him once more, drawing her left arm back. Jack almost smiled. He could see that she wasn't putting strength in it. It was a bluff. So he wasn't surprised, when her right arm suddenly swung out, targeting his chest. It probably would have worked with a less experienced fighter, but Jack expertly managed to deflect her fist. He grabbed her wrist and led her arm past his torso. This time she adjusted, not faltering in her stance. Good learning abilities, he praised inwardly. But she wasn't the only one, who could adapt. With a quick movement, he jerked his right arm holding her right wrist against her upper body and pulled her with her back against him. She was taken by surprise and for a moment failed to react. He used the time to snake his other arm around her waist, trapping her free arm in his hold. He knew he possessed more strength than her and now he used it to press her tightly against his chest. She gasped and then tried to wriggle herself free, testing the hold he had on her.

And for the first time since they had begun their training fight, Jack became acutely aware that she had one advantage that could cost him. When she squirmed and wiggled against him, her six rubbed against his pelvis and he lost concentration for a second. It was as unexpected as it felt overwhelmingly good and without wanting to, Jack closed his eyes, reveling in the feeling for the tiniest moment.

So it was his own goddamn fault he didn't see her next move coming, literally.

She headbutted him. Hard and merciless. Only their difference in height spared his nose from getting mangled, but he guessed he'd get a nice, big bruise on his chin. He grunted and she couldn't suppress a moan fully, either. Guess that had hurt her, too.

He shifted to get out of her head's way and she used the movement to free her elbow and press it back into his stomach. Immediately he tensed up his muscles to counter her, but she didn't relent. Grunting, he pushed his thigh between her legs, trying to get her off-balance.

She struggled against him, but he was stronger. When she finally lost her footing she leaned onto him, using his tight grip on her to stay upright. He was severely tempted to just drop her, but when he stepped back to do exactly that, she hooked her leg into the one between her thighs and held on. His movement caused him to lose his balance and he fell. And since she leaned onto him heavily, she went down with him.

Habitually, Jack rolled during his fall to land on his elbows and knees. But his change in posture caused Sam, whose legs were still entangled with his and who was trapped between his arms, to get pushed under him. Cursing, Jack realized that he would land right on top of her, and probably crush her with his weight. Intuitively he reached out and wrapped his hands around her head, shielding her, before they thumped onto the mats. Jack did his best to cushion his fall on her, his knees taking the brunt of the fall. White, hot pain shot through his poor knees and he gritted his teeth to refrain from crying out.

Sam didn't notice his discomfort but rather used his momentary distraction. Her elbow connected with his side, effectively throwing him off of her. Jack rolled onto his back and she jumped after him. Straddling him, she pushed his arms against his body and then trapped them there with her legs. One of her forearms went against his throat, pushing, so he had to stay down if he wanted to breathe. Routinely, Jack tensed up the muscles in his throat and tucked his chin down to push her arm towards his collarbone, relieving his windpipe from as much pressure as he could.

For a moment they both stilled, breathing heavily. Sam's chest was heaving noticeably and she panted with her mouth open. That, combined with her position perched up on top of him made Jack's thoughts shoot right into the gutter. And although he was hurting in quite a few places, his body felt suddenly all awake and lively. He couldn't help his thoughts travel to another opportunity, where she could sit on top of him, gasping and panting open-mouthed, her legs wrapped around his hips, sweat trailing down her body…

His eyes followed a stray bead of sweat that rolled down her temple. God, he felt hot all of a sudden.

And just for good measure he began twisting his body under her, so she had to up the strength with which she restrained him. And since he was still stronger, she had to use her whole body weight, now effectively pressing herself down on him.

He'd never been in such close body contact with any of his 2IC's, he thought suddenly, but then again he'd never felt the wish to do so. After all, he mused, only Carter could make that feel so good, wouldn't she?

"Give up?", she asked suddenly. Her breath washed over his face, when she spoke.

He looked at her, momentarily amazed. Was she crazy? The hell he would do anything along those lines! It would just make her stand up!

"Don't think so.", he denied her lazily.

"You can't move anymore.", she pointed out.

"That's what you think.", he contradicted, smiling up at her in an mocking way which worked just perfect to rile her up a bit more.

She huffed. "Sir, I have you thoroughly immobilized. You can't do anything anymore."

Oh, she was getting a little ahead of herself, he thought. Time to put her in her place.

He bent his legs and planted his feet securely on the mats. Then, totally rendering her strength with which she pushed down on him useless, he bucked under her, lifting his hips off the floor. His hands came free, when Sam's knees rose off the mat, but he failed to act accordingly. Because his shift in position effectively brought his pelvis against her six.

He fell back onto the mat and Sam landed on him once more. He noticed immediately that her position was now slightly off. She had slid down, now sitting way too close to a dangerous area for his liking.

He looked at her, and was surprised. Her eyes were slightly glazed over, her breath hitched in her throat. Surprised, he noticed that she'd picked up on the rather… _sensual_ turn their training session had taken. And she was reacting to it!

Her arm, which had been locked at his throat, had slid down, now lying across his chest, and she'd forgotten to restrict him once more. His hands were still free and while her legs still clasped tightly onto his hips, it certainly wasn't the trained restraint anymore she'd learned in the academy.

Well, would you look at that, he thought smugly. She felt it. About as strong as he did. Who would've thought? Hell, he would have never even guessed, she could feel his physical proximity in _that_ way!

Carter was professional to the tips of her hair, so all she would see in a training session with him was a lesson in fighting skills, he'd been sure of it. Apparently, he'd been wrong. And he'd never been gladder to have been wrong. Pity that they were in the SGC's gym. He would've loved to give in to the temptation and explore it a bit.

Sam's eyes focused back on him, the expression in them still clouded. He couldn't help the urge to explore at least a tiny bit. He tilted his pelvis almost unnoticeably, bringing his hips in close contact with her center. Her body heat seeped over to him and he almost groaned out loud. And then he felt her react. On pure instinct and without her even realizing, she responded to his shift in position and pushed back, rolling her hips slightly, until she unknowingly managed to seat herself directly above his…

Jack shot up, throwing her off of him in the process. He stabilized her, when she tumbled off of him, completely taken by surprise by his swift movement, when she'd deemed him unable to move at all.

"Good work, Carter.", he rasped hoarsely.

"Huh?", she answered, slightly dazed.

"Your close combat skills.", he elaborated. "Very good."

She looked at him incredulous. "Sir, I couldn't do anything against you.", she contradicted.

"Wrong.", he denied her. "You were up against a superior opponent with all odds against you, but you held your ground. Very capable even."

She looked at him amazed, before a happy smile spread over her face, lighting up her whole expression. Jack felt like melting at seeing how glad she got from his praise. It made him want to continue just to see her smile so contently.

"Good stance you've got there. Hard to get around. Nice, fluid movements. And good instincts in battle. You're doing fine in close combat, Carter.", he went into detail.

"I know, I worked hard for it.", she admitted. "I just wanted you to see it…"

He shot a glance at her, disbelieving. "Carter, I knew that. I've seen you in action before."

Her eyes widened. "But…! You said…!"

"I _said_ I didn't doubt your abilities, didn't I?", he asked. "You're the only one, who's doubting them, if you feel you have to prove them to me."

She blushed cutely. Then she nodded, having caught up with his lesson and his intention. Good, now they won't have this discussion anymore.

Jack trudged back to his duffle bag and picked up his towel to run it over his neck. He'd broken a sweat – although he suspected that _that_ hadn't much to do with exhaustion from the training – and he was going to be sore tomorrow. Her punches really had hurt and he had to come up with some creative maneuvers to counter some of her attacks. He couldn't remember the last training fight which had left him in this state. God, he would contemplate training with her more often, but he had the distinct feeling it would lead to a catastrophe sooner than later. Such a shame…

Sam came to stand next to him, grabbing her water bottle, while watching Teal'c talk Daniel through a few basic movements in self-defense. The archaeologist was following through with them, looking and moving as awkwardly and uncomfortable as he could possibly be.

"So it weren't my skills, why you won't pair me up with Daniel?", she inquired.

"No.", he answered. "I merely arrange the teams, so we're even on scientific skills, strength and diplomatic abilities."

"I see.", she said softly. "I'm sorry, sir. I shouldn't have doubted you."

He nodded. Then he grabbed his duffle bag and swung it over his shoulder. "Mind helping Teal'c out with Daniel's training?", he asked. "I'll join the lessons tomorrow."

"Alright.", Sam agreed readily. "But where're you going, sir?"

Jack began to head towards the gym's doors, calling out over his shoulder: "I'm in for a shower."

And, indeed, he was in dire need of one. If possible, ice-cold. Because his training session with her still left his body humming and the blood in his veins burning in a very wrong way considering their work relationship.

Still, they'd have to do it sometime again, he promised himself, but then somewhere without security cameras around…

* * *

_A/N: Next time, it's Sam's confession…_


	7. Close

_**Author's note:**__ Once more, thank you all for your support!_

_**Around the regs**_

_Chapter Seven: Close_

Sam's eyes fluttered open. Her gaze unsteadily wandered around in the half-darkness surrounding her. She tried to adjust her eyes; tried to see clearly, but it was no use. The picture she was presented with seemed to sway, whatever she did.

Her head hurt. As well as her body. Every muscle in her body ached painfully and her head pounded heavily. But, she suspected, it had nothing to do with the hard, cold floor she was lying on.

With more difficulty than she would have wished for, she turned her head to the side. Her breath rattled in her chest and she coughed violently. Her body shook under the force of the coughing fit.

When she finally managed to still, she was mildly surprised by the fact that she wasn't cold. She was lying in the darkness of the night on a cold floor on a rather cold planet off-world, if she remembered correctly. So why wasn't she cold? Coughing once again, she theorized that she may just be running a fever. Great, just what she needed.

Exhaling shakily, she let her eyes run over her environment. Just in front of her were the metal bars of her cell. She couldn't remember, how she'd come to lie in this exact spot, but she realized it was the best spot. The most soothing. Because it was as closest to his cell as she could get. She adjusted her head and glanced through the metal bars over the small hallway to the other cell he was confined in. He sat leaned against the metal bars in a corner, only a few feet away from her. She didn't know if it was coincidence, but he also sat as close to her as he could get. He was tense and his fingers clenched around themselves fidgety. She couldn't see his face due to his cap that overshadowed his eyes, but his face swayed between the small door at the end of the hallway that lead to their cells and her.

"Sir…?", she croaked hoarsely. Her voice cracked; sounding as if she hadn't used it for days.

He twitched with surprise and immediately his whole body turned towards her. "Carter!", he said, relief more than evident in his voice. "You're awake?"

"Apparently.", she answered uneasily.

The moonlight coming from the small window illuminated his tense jaw, before he spoke: "How're you feelin'?"

She suppressed another coughing fit and wheezing, she replied: "I fear I'm running a fever, sir…"

"Shit!", he cursed.

For a moment there was silence between them, only interrupted by her labored breathing.

"How long was I out?", Sam inquired, contemplating that she had passed out somewhere in the night from her fever.

"Coupla hours.", he sighed.

Sam closed her eyes in dread. That meant it had to be in the early morning hours…!

"Daniel and Teal'c?", she asked with the slightest hint of hope left.

"Haven't heard anything from them yet.", the Colonel growled.

Damn it, Sam swore inwardly. They were cutting it awfully close.

Sighing, Sam ran through their options in her head, but she knew beforehand that things didn't really look good for them. She and the Colonel had run into an ambush from the local inhabitants on the planet they had been investigating. P9B-5C3 had looked rather promising, when the first thing they had stumbled upon after exiting the Stargate had been an untouched naquadah mine. But while Daniel and Teal'c had stayed back to inspect the mine, she and the Colonel had done a sweep on the surroundings only for them to run into a hunting party of the local residents.

The people were primitive, hunting with machetes, knives and bows and arrows. Still, the moment they had spotted the strangers, a fight had broken out. Sam had taken an arrow to the shoulder, before one of them could react. Luckily her vest took the brunt of the hit, leaving her with a mostly unspectacular flesh wound. Still, she and the Colonel had been forced to defend themselves and with their more advanced weapons casualties happened. They had tried their best to go for non-lethal shots, aiming for the legs, arms or shoulders, still Sam had seen one or another go down, not sure what had happened to them.

The Colonel had shouted for a retreat and radioed Daniel and Teal'c to order them to return to the SGC without them, telling them that he and Sam would follow as fast as possible. They had made a hasty withdrawal, but hadn't come far. Sam had practically run into a machete pointed at her throat and the Colonel had been forced to surrender. Their weapons had been taken from them, but luckily they hadn't taken the radios, obviously not knowing what they were for. Sam and the Colonel had been taken prisoner and what Sam had been able to make out of the foreign language – actually more of their body language – they were about to be executed for the deaths that had happened. And when the Colonel had seen them set up what seemed to be a stake for them, it was clear that they wouldn't have much time left.

Sam had tried to come up with a plan for their escape, but to her complete frustration, there had been nothing they could do to free themselves. They were imprisoned behind unyielding bars with no weapons or tools left to open their cells somehow. To their luck however, Daniel and Teal'c had escaped unnoticed and had obviously explained the situation once they had reached the SGC, because not long after their imprisonment, the SGC had dialed up the planet they were being held on and had contacted them via radio. Relieved beyond words, the Colonel had reported their situation. General Hammond had immediately promised to send back-up to get them out of their tight spot, and so they had settled to wait for the reinforcements to arrive.

But when evening had fallen, Sam had begun to feel ill. Her head had been swimming and she had stumbled around in her small prison cell disorientated. She had been completely surprised, but the Colonel had immediately suspected the arrows of which she had taken one to her shoulder to be poisoned.

It was then that they became acutely aware that time was, indeed, running out for them, quickly.

And that had been hours ago. By now it seemed they _had_ run out, Sam contemplated. There still were no signs of any back-up arriving any time soon, she was getting weaker with every passing minute and the night was slowly coming to its end.

"Sir…", she began, only to get interrupted by him.

"We don't know anything yet, Carter.", he tried to comfort her. "Maybe they're already on their way here. Or are already working on getting us out."

Sam seriously doubted that. Wouldn't they have heard anything from their comrades if that was the case? After all, they had said that they were still in possession of their radios and could talk freely. Nobody had come for them, since they'd been imprisoned. Not to check on them, not to give them food (heaven forbid they give food to prisoners about to be executed). They were being ignored.

But Sam said nothing to it. She was sure the Colonel was aware of it.

Neither of them spoke thereafter. Silently, Sam watched the light of the moon turn into dawn and then the first rays of sunlight stream in. In the distance the bustling of an awakening village was heard. Now it wouldn't be long.

The Colonel shifted in his cell, the first movement he'd made in a surprisingly long time. "Carter, if I… manage to overpower our guards, when they come to get us…", he began, apparently mulling over certain scenarios in his head, how they could escape. "…would you be able to run away?"

Sam was unsure. Would she be able to do it? She didn't feel very stable…

Without answering, Sam heaved herself onto her elbows and then tried to sit up. When she finally managed, everything around her began to spin, making her feel as if she was trapped in a rollercoaster, wondering where ceiling and floor were. Still, Sam tried to ignore it, reaching out her hands to search for the cold floor. She tried to get to her feet, but suddenly the world tilted around her, and powerless, she fell back onto the floor, coming to lie half on her side, half on her stomach.

"Carter!", she heard him call out concerned, while pain danced through her maltreated body and her head reeled.

Sam wanted to punch something in frustration, but she felt so weak that she didn't even manage to lift her head, let alone her arm. "I'm sorry, sir!", she croaked. "I don't think I can escape…!"

The Colonel's eyes bored into her, she could feel it, even if she couldn't see it. "Alright.", he said, settling back into his corner.

Sam inhaled unsteadily. "Sir, if you get the chance…", she began. "Go without me."

She knew his answer, before he even growled out: "No!"

She groaned. "Sir, I am in no shape to help you or accompany you! But you could get away! You could escape back to the SGC! Please go without me!"

"Carter, I am _not_ leaving you behind!", he hissed.

She felt tears prick her eyes. Why was he so stubborn? Clearly there was no hope left for her! But he didn't have to die! He still had a chance. Why wouldn't he take it?

"Sir, _please!_", she pleaded desperately. When he looked about ready to contradict her again, she huffed, feeling pressured to point it out to him clearly: "Sir, I am not going to make it!", she admitted. "Either the fever or the poison will do me in soon. So please, at least rescue yourself…"

"For cryin' out loud, Carter!", he groaned, his voice broken. "I can't…!"

Now Sam clearly felt the tears running down her cheeks. Stuck. They were stuck. He wouldn't leave and she couldn't make him. She desperately wished, he would just forget about his principles and leave her back! There was no way she was going to make it, but he could! He could survive and right now that was all that mattered to her.

Seeing her distress, Jack skidded closer to the metal bars separating them. His long fingers closed around them, his knuckles turning white with the force he used.

"Carter…!", he rumbled quietly, trying to calm her down.

"Jack.", she answered strained, foregoing any formality. Why bother now? Soon it would be over anyways…

But then, suddenly, Sam had the overwhelming feeling that whatever she would say, he wouldn't sway in his decision. Because as much as it pained her to only think of his death, he must hate the thought of her dying. Sam had always known he would do everything for his team. He would never leave a teammate behind. Apparently not even, when it could cost him his own life…

Exhausted, Sam had the urge to give up. She felt so weak! Maybe… maybe if she'd die now, here, would he go and try to escape?

"Jack…", she murmured drained, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Sam!", he called out to her, alarmed when he heard her voice fail. "Don't you give up on me now! Hang in there, Major! That's an order!"

Why, she thought defeated. So they could die together on that stake…?

Her eyes felt heavy and tired. Sam knew she was about to give in to exhaustion. And when she did, it would probably be the last time. But before, she wanted to do something. She had one last thing she wanted to say. One last thing she couldn't take with her; one last thing that needed out.

"Jack?", she asked, her low voice barely audible even in the silence of their cells. "There's something I want you to know. I–"

"No!", he interrupted her firmly.

"Jack–", she began anew, but again he howled her over immediately.

"Carter, you will _not_ say it! That's an order!", he commanded heatedly.

Sam smiled sadly. "But I don't want to die without having said it at least once.", she admitted.

"Nobody's going to die here.", he answered gruffly.

Sam sighed. He could deny it all he wanted, but she knew the truth. There was no way out for them anymore. At least, not for her.

Looking up at him earnestly, she inhaled deeply and said with the strongest voice she could muster: "I love you, Jack!"

Cursing violently, he raked his hands through his hair in frustration, effectively sending his cap flying. He didn't care, though. His eyes were blazing into hers. He was mad. She knew it immediately. Instantly she felt like the rookie soldier, who had screwed up and was confronted with her CO's righteous anger. The familiar urge to apologize so he would forgive her mistake was threatening to overwhelm her. But she didn't want to apologize! Her feelings may be wrong; may be forbidden, but she couldn't help how she felt, could she?

"Goddammit, Carter!", he shouted, furious.

She had never felt as naked, as exposed as she did right now. And, honestly, his reaction wasn't helping her doubts. But then again, what had she expected? He was her Commanding Officer. How was he supposed to react? She had not only just disobeyed a direct order, but also admitted her feelings for the only man, who was completely off-limits…

He slammed his hands against the metal bars, making them ring, and then slumped down against them once more.

He looked at her directly and Sam smiled back in an automatic reaction. His lopsided grin appeared, but it was a gloomy version of it. "For cryin' out loud, Sam…!", he sighed defeated. "This was not how I believed this to happen!"

Yeah, none of them had even suspected that they would end up here, dying, had they?

Suddenly, Jack's expression changed and Sam could see something in his eyes. Some feeling she hadn't even hoped to see there…! "How am I supposed to react to that; _here_, _now_?! I can't even embrace you!", he whispered roughly.

Oh god! Sam couldn't help the tiny sob that escaped her. She had misunderstood him! He hadn't meant…  
Instead, he… he felt the same…? Still…?  
As always Sam was as flashed by the fact that he actually reciprocated her feelings as she was by the realization that nothing had changed for neither of them, although nothing could ever happen between them. No matter how many time passed, apparently neither of them was intending to give up on their feelings for the other.  
And she, for one, would hold onto them with all her heart until the last breath…

Feeling as happy as she was sad, Sam reached out her hand, treading it through the metal bars. Her fingers fell onto the cold floor of the hallway, not even able to reach his cell. She grunted frustrated. Even now they weren't allowed the tiniest possibility to be together, were they?

Then, unexpectedly, he reached out, his arm stretching through the bars restricting him. He grabbed hold of her hand and entwined their fingers. Sam sighed contently, when his thumb began rubbing comforting circles on the back of her hand.

Now having wasted her last strength, Sam felt the heavy pull on her eyes. She struggled against the tug of the impending unconsciousness. "Jack…", she slurred, feeling herself lose control over herself quickly.

"Come on, Sam! Fight it!", he demanded, his grip on her lax hand tightening. "Stay with me…!"

Sam wanted to answer him; she badly wanted to, but she felt herself unable to. Her eyes drifted shut involuntarily and her whole body seemed to go slack.

He cursed fiery and held onto her hand with even more vigor, his strong fingers now the only thing that held up her limp hand. She felt strangely soothed by his presence. If it was to end here, at least she'd been with him…  
And he knew. In the end, she had been able to say it out loud. Finally…

Suddenly, somewhere in the background Sam heard a door fly open and voices shout. She couldn't make out the exact words and although she wanted to react; flee, fight or do whatever necessary; she couldn't. Her body felt as heavy as stone. She didn't even have the energy left to open her eyes.

Sam heard the Colonel call out something and suddenly his hand was gone from hers. She missed it deeply the instant it was gone. Metal clanged and Sam guessed that the prison cells were opened. Someone stepped up to her and fingers roamed over her body, settling on the weak pulse at her throat. She heard a sigh and then she felt herself get hoisted up. She was pulled against a broad, strong chest and the smell she inhaled was strangely familiar, even if her muddled brain failed to place it. Arms went around her shoulders and under her knees and then she felt herself get moved around. Shouting erupted all around her suddenly and gunfire was heard somewhere. Her body was jostled around, male voices yelling out all around her. Some of them felt more familiar, some less.

Then there was heavy breathing and rhythmic stomping, her body shaking in time with the stomps, as if someone was running, while carrying her. After a while the shaking was replaced with the overwhelming feeling of cold and a kind of electric discharge. When it thankfully ended shortly after, alarms blared around her and a dull droning of uncountable voices and many different sounds were audible all around her. Finally, even her movement stopped and a strong scent of… sterility… invaded her nose. Suddenly, hands were all over her body, tucking at her clothes. She should feel disturbed by this thought, but somehow, it felt oddly familiar, as if it had to be like this. As if everything would be alright now.

Suddenly, a strong voice boomed over the others, drowning them out: "Oh, for cryin' out loud, leave me the fuck alone and take care of her first!"

He sounded fine. He sounded safe. Finally, she allowed herself to slip fully into unconsciousness.

* * *

_A/N: Inspired by all the occasions, where one member of SG-1 was prepared and ready to give their life for another one; for a friend that was more than just a simple team member._

_Still, how come I only seem to be able to write scenes where Sam and Jack 'talk' about their feelings that are near-death-experiences…? Really, sometimes, they're just stubborn, frustrating, regulation-abiding fools…_

_Next time: Jack stumbles over Sam in an unexpected place._


	8. Shower

_**Author's note:**__ Wow, I've never gotten this much reactions this fast as for 'Close'! Until now this seems to be the most liked chapter…  
So, again, thank you for all your wonderful, overwhelming and marvelous words!  
Unfortunately, there won't be many chapters like 'Close', because this was always intended as Romance/Humor. But, when I'm through with 'Around the regs', I have other stories that go in that direction that I could post…_

_Anyways, it's almost difficult now to post a new chapter after 'Close'…_

_This chapter is another one from the early beginning, where Jack and Sam start to feel the attraction to the other…_

_**Around the regs**_

_Chapter Eight: Shower_

Steaming hot water pattered down on Jack, taking a disgusting mixture of half-crusted mud and dirt with it to drown in the drain. The weather on PX-whatever they had just returned from had been nasty to say the least. They had slithered through slimy mud, fighting for their balance, and the never-ceasing rain they had been presented with had ensured that the sloshing mud had reached places it never should. Their weather protection gear hadn't managed to withstand the furious gusts of wind and the pelting rain and so it hadn't taken long for them all to get drenched to the bones. Jack had no idea, how he had looked during that trip, but he could still vividly remember Carter's downright miserable sight with her blonde hair plastered to her head and her clothes clinging to her soaked body, occasional sneezes erupting from her. Just like he and Teal'c, she had had mud up to her thighs and on her hands and arms were she had reached out to stop herself from falling down continually. But, naturally, Daniel had looked the worst. The archaeologist had lost his balance and fallen face-first into the muddy ground, covering himself head to toe in the sticky substance. When they had finally determined that the planet had nothing – _absolutely nothing_ – worthy for them and had stumbled back through the Stargate, Doc Fraiser had taken one look at the poor linguist and had ordered him to the infirmary, just to make sure the mud was just that – innocent, harmless mud. Teal'c had gone with him, seeing that he had managed to escape the driest and cleanest in comparison.

Carter and he had stayed back to give a short report for General Hammond, both of them dripping water and dirt onto the ground to leave puddles of off-world soil along the 'Gate room in their wake. The General had nodded his consent to their words, but seeing their uncomfortable shifts, when the mud had started drying in various places, their Commanding Officer had finally taken pity on them and released them for a well-needed shower.

Jack had perched up at the simple thought of _clean_ water running down his body and calling tabs on the shower room, he had thrust his weapons at his 2IC, before hurrying out of the door with her indignant response still in his ear. Well, he couldn't help that they had only one bathroom on the base, so one of them had to wait for their turn anyways. And for once, Jack wasn't about to use his superior position to get to it first. Hell, he had mud in places that were better left unnamed, for cryin' out loud!  
He had been looking forwards to a shower the moment they had stepped foot on PX-something, when Carter and Daniel had still hoped to find something worthwhile on this wet, muddy mess of a planet, so he found he had the older rights…

Jack squeezed a good amount of shampoo into his hands and began working it into the short strands of his hair, trying frantic to get it clump-free. This mud was sticking to his body in a most persistent way. Jack had already lathered himself in shower gel twice and still he wasn't mud-free!

Over the sounds of the water running around him, he heard the distinct sounds of movement and then the metal clang of a locker being shut in the adjoining locker room. Probably Danny-boy, he concluded. Since it wasn't change of shifts yet and no other teams had returned recently from off-world missions, there wasn't anyone in dire need of the showers but SG-1.

Jack sighed in sympathy. Poor Carter. She would have to wait even longer, when Daniel and Teal'c had just decided to use the showers, too…

Really, it wasn't fair to her, he realized. She had to use the same showers as the men and seeing that she was greatly outnumbered, she was always drawing the short stick. At the beginning, she had even been the only women who went off-world and would be in need of the on-base showers. All female technicians and scientists enlisted in the Stargate Program worked shifts and could go home to shower there. And the nurses and doctors had showers in the infirmary, separated by male and female. So the only one deprived had been Carter and the handful of females that had joined the program upon the building of the nine SG units.

And, knowing this from experience, there were missions – just like this one – where you would kill afterwards for a shower. And Jack had seen the women pacing up and down the hallway in front of the shower room once or twice, waiting for their male teammates to finish so they could finally clean up…

Footsteps drew nearer, tapping over the tiled floor, and then the curtain next to Jack's shower stall was drawn back. The sounds of flowing water doubled and even more hot steam filled the room.

Jack held his head under the water stream and closed his eyes, when shampoo and dirt washed over his face to run down his body. Then he grabbed his shower gel for a third round in the hopes of finally getting off this soil. And while he attacked the clumps of dirt entangled in the hairs along his body, Jack imagined Carter standing in front of the taken shower room, tapping her foot onto the concrete ground, while waiting in an ever-growing puddle of mud and rain water for them to finally emerge. Suddenly, Jack felt utterly unfair to have claimed the shower rooms first. He had been taught to treat a woman like a gentleman and what had he done? He had pulled rank on her to get to the showers first, leaving her in her miserable state. He really should have let her go first, he mused. He was somehow used to being covered in dirt, mud and various other substances, but he couldn't imagine, she was. She had to be highly uncomfortable right now…

Stepping under the hot spray of water once more, Jack vowed internally to treat her to lunch afterwards. And maybe he should talk to Hammond to have another shower room added to the base…

Finally, the last bits of mud caved and were running down his body to disappear in the drain. Sighing relieved, Jack remained another moment under the hot water, before he finally shut it off. Dripping wet he studied the red patches on his skin, where he had to scrub off the mud. His skin felt raw in a few places and he almost winced in sympathy when he thought of what Carter had to go through, when it was finally her turn.

Determined to finish quickly, he drew back the curtain and grabbed his towel hanging outside. He slung it around his hips and padded out of the shower stall. Looking around in the shower room, he noticed that the shower stall next to his was the only one occupied, so it probably wasn't Daniel? Because if the archaeologist had returned, then Teal'c would surely have been with him?

Jack stopped in front of the occupied shower stall, intent to order the Airman to hurry it up, because there were people waiting for their turn, when he caught a sudden whiff on the hot steam wafting over from the closed curtain. Now Jack was really sure, it wasn't Daniel. He had taken enough showers next to the other man to know that this was not the shampoo he used. In fact, it smelled rather…

All of a sudden an unexpected noise sounded out, followed by a muffled curse, and before Jack had understood what had happened, a bottle of shower gel slid over to him from under the shower curtain. Raising an eyebrow astonished, Jack studied the bottle lying in front of his feet, a picture of cherries and jasmine flowers staring up at him. An amused grin tucked at his lips. Who the hell would use such a girly shower gel…?

The curtain drew back and someone stepped forwards, obviously intending to retrieve the slippery bottle. Jack looked up, a sarcastic remark about this certain pick of scent dancing on his tongue, but his words died in his throat immediately. From the shower stall stepped _Carter_!

Jack froze in his tracks, when the very dripping, very _naked_ form of his 2IC stepped up from behind the curtain. Jack instantly forbad his eyes to go _anywhere_, but her face, but he couldn't help the glimpse he got from his peripheral vision. Oh god, he'd always known his 2IC was beautiful and he had suspected that she hid a damn hot body under these baggy BDUs, but this…? This was beyond his _wildest_ imaginations…!

A feminine yelp brought him back to the reality and he saw her draw the curtain forwards to wrap her body in it, a fierce blush spreading over her cheeks that had nothing on the rosy glow from her shower. Jack's trained senses couldn't help but follow her movements, although he had been determined to not look. His eyes trailed quick glances over her moving limbs, catching sight of pale, flawless skin and… _oooh_, so _there_ was the infamous mole! Who woulda thought?

"_Oh my god…! __**Sir**__!_", she called out in an irate voice.

He looked up, his gaze locking on her blazing blue eyes. She looked furious, but hey, it was seriously hot on her…

His eyes wandered on, even though they would have better stayed on safe grounds. Her blonde hair clung to her head, drips of shampoo and left-over dirt trailing over her temples and running down her neck and throat. Her skin glistened with the rivulets of water flowing down her body and the hot steam left a shiny glow to her figure. He had to suppress the urge to smirk. She was obviously embarrassed beyond words and he probably shouldn't enjoy the sight he had been unexpectedly presented with as much as he undoubtedly did…

"Carter.", he drawled, noticing with appreciation the way the wet shower curtain clung to her chest with her heavy breathing.

"_Sir!_ What are you _doing_ here!?", she inquired irritated.

He raised an eyebrow questioningly. "As far as I remember, I called tabs on the showers first…?"

Now her eyes narrowed and she positively glowered at him. "Sir…!", she huffed angrily. "Did you, _by any chance_, forget to put up the 'male' sign?"

He opened his mouth to tell her that he would not have forgotten – really, what did she think of him?! – when he held in suddenly. He had been in such a rush to get to the freeing showers, that, maybe, he really could have forgotten…? He remembered rushing into the shower room, but he certainly didn't remember switching the sign over to the male part, which would tell all females – and a certain Captain – that the males were occupying the showers…

"Oh.", he said intelligently.

She sighed and then looked down, her eyes drifting over to where her shower gel bottle had slithered to. Awkward silence settled over them.

Jack gulped, while slowly realization dawned on him. Because of a stupid mistake, he had practically seen his 2IC – his very female 2IC – naked. He really hadn't seen much of her, her fast reflexes had prevented that, but he was pretty sure, there was still a brand-new shiny court-martial waiting for him. Oh, for crying out loud! He might have broken a few regulations here and there – maybe even a bit more than a few – but he had always respected female officers in the appropriate way. _Never_ had he imagined, this would be the regulation disregarded that would finally get him court-martialed…  
He would have put all his money on a superior officer that had finally had enough with him and would get him on charge, but a fellow female officer? Not so much…

Exhaling resigned, Jack bent down and picked up her shower gel. Slowly, he stepped up to her and held it out to her. To his complete surprise however, he saw her eyes leave his face, when he closed in on her. She didn't step back, no, she held her ground. But he had expected that. What he hadn't expected were her eyes running up and down his body, taking in all his male features. For a moment, her gaze lingered on his bare chest and the blush spreading over her cheeks deepened. _Oho_, he thought satisfied. Again the urge to smirk at her was tucking at his lips, but he resisted. So she liked what she saw. _Sweet_.

Finally, she seemed to become aware that he was still holding out her shower gel to her and reached for it. Her fingers brushed his, when they curled around the bottle and a sudden surge of electricity shot through his hand, dancing through his body in a tingling way. Surprised, he sought out her blue eyes. They stared back at him, wide and confused, so Jack was pretty sure she'd felt that _whatever_ he'd felt as well.

Suddenly, the silence between them seemed to fill with tension. Crackling tension that made the temperature in the hot shower room rise exponentially. He saw her mouth fall open, shallow breaths fanning in and out, while her eyes stared transfixed at him. Other urges, Jack so didn't want to connect his 2IC with, kicked in painfully hard, leaving him fighting against instinctive reactions of his body.

He let go of the bottle and thus her hand quickly, and crossed his arms in front of his chest warily. Again this seemed to draw her attention down to his chest and seeing the distinct appreciative expression flash over her face did so not help his case…! He had to get out of here. Fast.  
But first…

"Carter, I'm sorry.", he said earnestly. "I really didn't mean to pry into your privacy. So if you decide to write me up for charge, Captain…"

She shook her head, interrupting him. "Sir, I wouldn't…! I mean, it was an accident! So I won't…"

He nodded, grinning hesitantly at her. She smiled back, somewhat nervously.

Then, unexpectedly, a small trail of shampoo escaped over her brow and loomed to drip down into her eye. She blinked to cover her eye, but obviously couldn't reach up and remove it, because one of her hands was still clutching the curtain to her body, while the other held the bottle of shower gel.

Before he knew, what he was about to do, he had reached up and brushed it away. Again, her eyes widened and suddenly, she looked up at him with a certain longing shining from her eyes. Mesmerized, he took another step forwards, his eyes never leaving her face, when he extended his arm to wash away the bits of her shampoo that stuck to his fingers under the spray of the shower behind her. Her shaky exhales left her breath to wash over his naked chest and he felt his body tighten in a familiar, but long since not felt reaction. Here, within the shower stall her familiar scent was overpowering, wafting around in the crowded space on the hot steam from the water.

He drew back, retreating to safer grounds. Subconsciously, she adjusted to every movement he made, her eyes and her body following him instinctively.

He looked down on her, dark eyes boring into light blue ones. He was dimly aware that he was probably looking scary right now, he could feel it by the way his body tensed up and his eyes searched her face, studying her every reaction intimidatingly. He fought against the primal urge to close in on her, to push her back until there was no space left between their bodies. He knew he was at a point, where his iron self-control had to kick in or he would scare another woman. He knew that former girlfriends had been frightened, when too much of his dark persona had crept through, but to his astonishment, he could read no fear in Carter's expression. And then, suddenly, he knew, why. Of course. Carter was military, a soldier just as he was. She was trained to look danger into the eyes unfazed. She didn't get scared that easily. And that just made the attraction for her he suddenly found himself confronted with surge through the roof. She wasn't just capable, trustworthy and damn hot, no she was a woman, who wouldn't be afraid of him. A woman, who could handle him. A woman, he didn't have to hold back with, when with her. Jack became aware, that she was probably the perfect match for him. And, even better, she seemed to feel the unwanted, but all the more strong attraction just as much as he did.

Still, and he was acutely aware of it, she was also the only woman completely off-limits for him. So as much as he might want to have his way with her, he knew unfailingly that he wouldn't, whatever may happen. Because the frat regs and the proper treatment of woman were a few of those things he wouldn't meddle with. Ever. He wouldn't jeopardize her future and her important career, whatever he might feel for her. It just wasn't his place to decide over where this was going.

So he stepped back fully, grabbing his own shower gel and shampoo, and then turned for the locker room. Still, being Jack O'Neill, he couldn't help himself. He looked back over his shoulder to where she huddled behind the curtain. With a wicked grin, he said smugly: "Really like this shower gel of yours, Carter. Scent suits you."

She smiled back at him, one of those insanely big smiles that could subdue the sun, as far as he was concerned.

With this, he left the shower, making sure, the 'female' sign was firmly in place, and trudged over to his locker to stash away his shower utensils. He made quick work of pulling fresh clothes from his locker, when distinct humming began to drift over from the shower. Jack stopped for a moment to listen to her voice hum melodically and suddenly didn't feel that bad about their chance encounter anymore. He had rather enjoyed the way her eyes had travelled over his body…

Then, abruptly, another thought invaded his head. What if it hadn't been him in there with her? What if another officer would someday forget to put up the correct sign and she would enter the shower and this officer would be presented with what he had seen – or not seen, for that matter…

With a sudden haste, Jack dropped his towel, not bothering to dry off, and almost jumped into his fresh BDUs. As soon as he was approximately decent, he left the locker room and headed for the elevators, jaw set in determination.

SJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJ

General Hammond looked up astonished, when Colonel O'Neill stomped into his office. The General noticed that, to his credit, the Colonel had knocked, before he'd stormed into his office, even if the man hadn't bothered to wait for an answer. The General's pen halted mid-movement over an important document he had been about to sign, when he took in the appearance of the man he had appointed this base's 2IC.

The Colonel looked, as if he had forgotten to dry off before getting dressed. Dark patches spread over his dry BDUs, where water soaked through the material and water was dripping from his still wet hair onto his shoulders. The General wouldn't have been surprised, if the Colonel left little puddles, wherever he went.

"Colonel…?", he prompted pointedly, when the other man failed to explain the sudden and certainly unusual appearance.

"We need another shower room!", the Colonel declared abruptly and then, upon remembering, added: "Sir."

"Another shower room?", the General echoed perplexed. "What's wrong with the one we have? As far as I can see, it's working…?"

"Yes, sir, it is.", Colonel O'Neill agreed. "But I _really_ think we need separate shower rooms! You know, one for men and one for women. It's just not fair on the women on base that we need to share…"

The General narrowed his eyes, a sudden suspicion invading his thoughts. Why had the Colonel _just now_ decided that this was needed…? But then again, the General had the fleeting feeling that he may not _want_ to know…

Sighing, he rubbed his temples. "Colonel, we simply don't have that much women on base, who use the showers–"

But the Colonel bowled him over immediately: "Still, they should have their own shower room. It's not fair that, whenever they return from a grueling mission that they have to outwait all the men using up the hot water!"

The General was silent for a moment, thinking. The Colonel had a point. They had few women on base right now, so wherever they had to share, they would be outnumbered by the men. And seeing what they could be getting confronted with off-world, there could come a situation, where they needed to clean up immediately. And the only showers that had separated male and female stalls were in the infirmary and couldn't be used by all personnel due to hygienic and sterility reasons.

The General nodded. "I will see to it that there will be another shower room installed.", he promised.

The Colonel grinned appreciative and turned for the door, before he remembered protocol and threw over his shoulder: "Um, dismissed, General?"

"Sure thing, son.", the General agreed. "You in a hurry to go home?"

The Colonel rubbed a hand over his neck, while glancing down the corridor he had turned to. "Not really, sir.", he admitted. "Just wanted to check on Daniel, and then I kinda promised Carter some lunch. Sorta…"

The General raised a brow curiously, confused by the other man's words, but the Colonel didn't seem inclined to explain, so General Hammond just waved him off and then stared at the closed door, when the Colonel had left. Somehow, SG-1 never failed to leave him in wonder…

* * *

_Little random note: This was inspired by a few stories here, where the authors wrote about there being only one shower room for all SGC personnel. I have no idea, if that really was somewhere in the show, but, of course, my brain just had to throw in its bit and that was the result. So, my interpretation of how the SGC got their second shower room…_


	9. Thought

_**Author's note**__: As usual, thanks to all, who gave feedback!_

_I took a few days to think over, how I want this story to continue and I decided to shorten it, for now. I feel like there are a few reoccurring themes and I don't want to repeat myself and bore you all out, so I've thrown out six or seven chapters. I will post what I absolutely want to have in this collection and then I'll see what I will do with these chapters…_

_On that note, this chapter came out a lot sooner than initially planned. It's one of the longest one-shots I've written until now for Stargate SG-1 and it's M-RATED (just to be sure)._

_**Around the regs**_

_Chapter Nine: Thought_

„Carter."

She chose to not even grace that with an answer. Concentrating hard, she picked up a tiny piece of material with a forceps to carefully maneuver it under her microscope. It had taken her half an hour to cautiously scrape off a this tiny piece of the alien technology's material she was currently studying, so she was _not_ letting it go to waste, because of–

"Carter.", he tried anew.

Her desk chair began making humble wheeling sounds and she could just imagine him spinning around with it. She was not going to look, though. She was finishing this!

"Caaarter!", he whined and she bit down on her teeth to refrain from snapping at him. Slowly, she was beginning to wonder if she had any chance in winning this contest of willpower. She had hoped that given some time he would get bored and leave her alone, but apparently, the more he got bored, the more he was set on getting her involved.

"You know, Carter? It's not really nice to ignore people!", he huffed mock-infuriated.

Sighing inwardly and resisting the urge to roll her eyes as well as the urge to count from ten backwards, she answered without looking up: "_Yes, sir?_"

For a moment there was silence and Sam wondered, if he was surprised she had finally given in or was trying to come up with something to annoy her with, now that she had lastly given in…

"Whatcha doing?", he asked. This time Sam really did look up, only to shoot him a glowering glare. His amused smirk however told her she was not really gaining any ground here.

"I am _trying_ to work on this here.", she said, emphasizing her words prudently.

He leaned forwards on her desk chair, getting it to creak slightly, to lean over her desk. "What's it?", he inquired, his disinterest mixing with his clear boredom. Why he even asked, when he wasn't interested at all, was beyond Sam.

"A piece of alien technology SG-7 brought back from P9G-703.", she nevertheless answered dutifully. "It could be from the Ancients…"

"What's it doing?"

Sam sighed. "I'm still _trying_ to find out."

He raised an eyebrow in a very Teal'c-like manner and inwardly she swore if he was about to ask her, why she didn't know yet, she was going to shoot something! Preferably him, but that may count as insubordination, so most likely she would have to settle for something else… He opened his mouth to say something, but Sam chose to interrupt, before he really could say something she was forced to react to in a manner that would not bode well for her career.

Straightening up, she turned towards him. "Sir, don't you have something to do?", she inquired, trying to sound polite.

He picked up a pen from her desk and began fiddling with it. "Probably.", he answered calmly.

Sam imagined the shitload of paperwork that undoubtedly sat forgotten on his desk. "Maybe you should…", she began.

"No.", he denied her flatly.

"But, sir…!", she protested vainly.

But before she could really go anywhere with her attempt at getting him to leave, he interrupted with apparently the first thing he could think of. "Carter, I want cake! And I want it now!", he stated matter-of-factly.

Not even picking up on the sudden change of topic, Sam almost cried in relief. She could work with that! "Then why don't you go to the commissary?", she suggested. "As far as I know, there's chocolate-vanilla cake today."

He laid the pen down, looking at her intently. He was clearly intrigued, she could see it. Come on, she thought, go for it.

"I want company.", he bargained.

Sam's eyebrows narrowed stubbornly. No way he was going to rip her from her work right now, when she was finally coming down to the interesting parts! "Ask Daniel.", she advised.

"Was there. Threw me out of his lab.", he pouted.

This time Sam sighed out loud. That explained, why he was here, harassing her. _She_ couldn't really throw him out of her lab without being insubordinate…

"Can I go back to my work _undisturbed_, when I go with you now?", she asked defeated.

A wide grin broke out on his face that almost made it bearable. Aside from the fact that he had tricked her into going with him – or rather annoyed her until she had finally given in to him. She didn't like that he was manipulating her. Okay, it wasn't really the fact that he was manipulating her, it was the fact that she was falling for it, even though she knew, he was manipulating her. Did that even make sense?

"Alright.", she said, stretching her aching neck to pop the joints that were sore after standing hunched over for too long. He jumped up energetically, a huge boyish grin on his features that nearly made her melt. Oh well, no harm in giving in to him now and then, was there…?

"I'll just put a few things 'round here in order and then we can…", she began, motioning around with her hands to her running experiments in the background. She was aware that it would probably take more time to power them down and up again than it would to simply let them run, but she was experimenting with a few unpredictable things and she didn't want to take any risks.

"Oh, no problem.", he agreed. "Here, let me help."

He reached forwards and gathered a few doohickeys in his hands to let them drop on another counter. Sam tried not to cringe at his rough treatment to her precious tools and concentrated on keeping the grateful grin in place. She reminded herself, that he was trying to help her here. She shuffled a few things out of the way herself and when she turned back to him, he was reaching forwards for the alien technology SG-7 had brought by her lab this morning.  
Her eyes widened cautiously and she jumped forwards, reaching out for his shoulder. "Sir, stop! I haven't had the chance yet to–"

His fingers curled around the small piece of technology at the same moment Sam's hands clutched onto his shoulder. Immediately she could feel an electrical jolt flow through her and she gasped humbly. It didn't hurt, but it left her skin tingling in an uncomfortable way.  
His fingers released the piece of technology and it fell with a distant _clang_ down onto her desk.

"Carter?", he drawled, his voice edgy.

"Yes, sir?", she swallowed nervously, knowing exactly what was coming next.

"Please tell me you have already examined this _thing_ and it does _not_ pose any threat to our health!", he demanded, growling slightly under his breath.

"Um, sir, actually that was what I was _trying_ to do, while you… um… tried to persuade me to go _eat cake with you_.", she answered, silently congratulating herself that it did not turn out accusingly.

"So…", he continued, turning towards her. For a short moment his eyes travelled to her hands on his shoulder and suddenly realizing she still hung onto him, she ripped her hands from him, trying her best to look innocent and unaffected. "So I assume whatever happened right now was not good for us?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "I honestly don't know, sir. It could be nothing…"

His dark eyes bore into her. "But it could also be anything?"

Biting her lower lip, she nodded. He cursed violently.

"Well, do you feel any different, sir?", she asked, trying to distract him. He halted and seemed to think for a moment. Sam took the time to run an imaginary inventory on herself. Everything felt normal, as far as she could tell. Nothing hurt, everything felt in place.

"No.", he answered. "I feel fine."

She smiled at him brightly. "Me, too."

He nodded. "So how about some cake now?"

She chuckled lowly. "Well, sir, I'd still say a trip to the infirmary is in order."

He looked at her offended. "Carter, is that payback for me dragging you out of your lab?"

Sam smiled at him sweetly. "Oh, so you admit that you were purposefully coming here to rip me from my work?"

He looked back at her. "I've never said that.", he stated determined, blank poker face firmly in place.

"Alright.", she said, humoring him. "I'd still say we need to swing by the infirmary."

"Really?", he pouted. "The Doc has those insanely big needles…"

She laughed, when a sly grin broke through his being dramatic. He laid a hand on the door's operating panel, pushing the button to open the door, but nothing happened. "What the…?", he uttered confused and tried – in vain – to get the door to move an inch. Then Sam tried, but she was not faring any better. Utterly confused she looked at Jack. "What's this?", she inquired. "Some kind of prank?"

His face darkened dangerously. "If this is, then they'd better made sure I'm not finding out, who did this!", he threatened. Although there were definitely worse things, the very last thing he needed right now was to be confined in a tight quarter with his 2IC with no way out…

Sam tried her best to not take her CO's bad mood personally. Sighing she walked towards her phone, intend on calling Siler to get them out of their misery. She grabbed onto the phone, her fingers curling around the red item, but as much as she tried, the handle wouldn't come off. She pulled and heaved, but the damn thing didn't move an inch! Crying out frustrated she gave up.

"Problem?", Jack asked with his usual sarcasm.

She raked her hands through her hair and shot him a glare, telling him she didn't find it funny at all. "Yes, sir, I believe we have.", she stated professionally though. He raised an eyebrow inquisitively, telling her silently to explain.

Sam huffed out a puff of breath, quickly thinking things through. "Well, I cannot be exactly sure, but I think it's the piece of alien technology…"

Jack's eyes widened. "That thingy I touched?", he asked incredulously, while motioning towards the small object that lay innocently on Sam's desk.

Sam shrugged, feeling rather helpless. "It's the only thing I can think of that could have caused this."

"But you didn't touch it!", he contradicted.

Sam worried her lower lip once more, when she whispered: "But I touched you, when you had it in your hands. Maybe it kinda… hopped over on me."

"Great…", he grumbled grouchily. "So what did it do to us?"

Again Sam took a minute to think their situation through. "Again, I can only theorize, since I haven't analyzed it yet…"

"Oh, for cryin' out loud, shoot away, Major."

"I think it somehow altered the integrity of our bodies. We're still here somehow, because we can still touch things, but we're not exactly here as we've been before, because we cannot move or operate anything anymore. Maybe the alien technology has transformed us to another level of existence…"

"Carter!", Jack interrupted, rubbing his temples for emphasis.

She exhaled loudly, while thinking of a way to break it down for him.

"Are we in another reality or some kind of parallel universe?", he wanted to know.

She shook her head. "I don't think so, sir. I think only our bodies have been altered. Everything else still is the same. We can only… not use anything anymore."

He rolled his eyes. "So what do you suggest we do?"

"Well, I'd say we will have to wait for someone to find us here and explain it to them, and then Janet or Daniel can try to find a way to reverse it."

SJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJ

It took three hours until someone finally came in search of Sam, and Jack had to admit those were some of the longest three hours he'd ever had. They could do nothing, and they were confined to Sam's little lab with no way out. Neither of them could do any work nor try to distract themselves somehow. They passed their time with talking, but eventually they had crossed all neutral themes they could think of and uncomfortable silence was settling in.  
So Jack was about ready to dance in joy, when a knock sounded out from the hallway on the lab's door.

"Yes! Come in!", Sam shouted immediately, jumping up from where she'd sat on her desk seeing that he was still occupying the chair.

Nothing happened. Sam called out again, but the effect was the same. Another knock resounded and again Sam answered the call, her voice sounding quite desperate by now. But as if to spite them, no one entered.

"Oh come on…", Jack growled frustrated, wishing for whoever it was to just open the damn door. And sure enough the door slid open. Space-monkey peaked in, his eyes roaming through the room in confusion. "Sam?", he called out.

"Yes, Daniel, I'm here!", she answered happily, while bouncing up to him.

Still, Daniel's eyes just went over her, as if she wasn't standing right in front of him. "Are you there, Sam?", Daniel called out, this time a little louder.

"I'm standing right in front of you!", she huffed back frustrated.

Sighing, Jack stood up and walked over to stand by her side. "Somehow I get the impression they can't see us.", he stated.

Daniel turned and revealed Teal'c standing behind him. "It seems she's not here!", Daniel reported back to their Jaffa friend, completely oblivious to them standing only inches away. The large man did a quick sweep of the room and Jack had to actively refrain from waving his hands towards him. If he didn't see them now, when they were standing in his direct line of vision, then he doubted him gesticulating would make any difference.

"It appears so.", Teal'c concluded and next to Jack, Sam groaned out loud.

"And neither is Jack…", Daniel drawled, seemingly confused. "You said, he wasn't in his office, his private quarters, the commissary or the gym either?"

"Indeed.", Teal'c confirmed.

Daniel squinted his eyes. "So where are they?", he inquired puzzled.

"Of that I have no idea.", Teal'c said. "Major Carter's laboratory was the last location after your office I could think of where O'Neill might have gone."

Daniel tapped his chin, while thinking. Then he went to Sam's phone and called up to the guards to inquire about their cars. Of course Jack knew what he would be told and so he wasn't surprised, when Daniel hung up, sounding quite astonished, when he told Teal'c: "Well, Sam's Volvo is still there, and so is Jack's pickup. They haven't left the base."

"Then I believe we must continue our search.", Teal'c stated solemnly.

Daniel shook his head. "I have a better idea. Let's get General Hammond to page them. Saves us from having to comb through the whole base."

Teal'c inclined his head in affirmation. Daniel turned and walked towards him, both men shuffling out of the room one after the other. In the last moment Jack reacted and gripped onto Sam's wrist. He hurried out of the room behind Daniel and pulled Sam along. Behind them the lab's door fell shut. Now they were at least not confined to that room any longer. "Good thinking, sir.", Sam praised. He nodded.

Together they followed Daniel and Teal'c. Sam tried to speak to by-passers, but no one reacted in any form to them. A young Airman even managed to walk right into Sam, before Jack could pull her out of his way, but the Captain only looked up puzzled and then apologized to Teal'c, assuming he had grazed him in passing. Teal'c raised his eyebrow in confusion, but neither he nor Daniel seemed to find it too strange to comment it.

Jack shot a quick glance at Sam. She looked highly frustrated by now, realizing that they had no chance to get anyone to notice them, and he couldn't help the sympathy he felt rushing through him. Giving her a lopsided grin he hoped would make her smile, he stroked his fingers over the wrist he still held in his palm and then dragged her along after their friends.

SJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJ

Of course, paging them brought nothing, Jack thought idly. Then again it was highly helpful. Because even if they sat on the briefing room's table right now, nobody knew it and all would become aware of their missing.

Sam next to him swung her legs back and forth, while they watched General Hammond page them through the PA system for the fourth time. Teal'c waited stoically by the window overlooking the 'Gate room and Daniel was on his way to wear a path in the concrete from his relentless pacing.

Jack sighed and leaned back on his hands on the table, wishing they were able to at least pull back a chair and sit in that, but no such luck. They had to settle with the table, if they didn't want to sit on the blank concrete and chance any incoming officer to stumble over them unintentionally.

"They will see that we won't come.", Sam mumbled, and for a moment he asked himself if she was talking to him or trying to reassure herself. He grunted affirmative.

"Then they will check, if we've left the base.", she continued. "But our cars are still there and we haven't signed out, so they will search for us." This time, he didn't react. He knew the protocol for such situations and he knew that she knew, he knew. Still, he let her talk.

"And then they will go through all surveillance video records, and they'll see what happened to us!"

He sighed. "How long will it take them to realize?", he asked.

Sam gnawed on her lip and shot a quick glance to the nearest clock. It had become evening already. She shook her head at him and he cursed softly.

"I guess, sir, we won't be sleeping in our own beds tonight.", she sighed.

SJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJ

Not sleeping in their own beds, my ass, Jack growled inwardly. Had she tried to be funny? Well, then again, Carter really wasn't to blame for this situation. And she was suffering under it as much as he was.

Night had turned in and General Hammond had been forced to interrupt the search for them. Most personnel had left the base, leaving only the bare necessary people behind. Sam had followed Daniel, who'd been one of the first to start the search the entire evening, trying to get into contact with him somehow and had failed spectacularly. She had come back to him, who hadn't even bothered to leave his place on the briefing table, where he could overhear all decisions General Hammond gave for them, looking completely down. Helplessly they had to watch one Airman after the other leave for their homes. They had contemplated following one of them out of the mountain, but it wouldn't help their situation. Neither of them would be able to open their own home's door, so they could as well stay here. They had also contemplated to stay in one of the guest quarters on base, but it only needed one Airman to accidently close the door and they would be stuck in another room, and they didn't want to risk that. So they decided to stay in an open area, where they were still able to come and leave how they wanted. Which left them in the briefing room.

Together they had made a trip to the commissary only to find out that they could neither open a water bottle nor lift any food to their mouths. Not even biting directly into it was working!

So now they were back in the briefing room, trying to get comfortable in a corner to try and get some sleep. Jack was aware that with his career in black ops he had slept in some pretty rough areas, far, far away from comfortable, but this here was damn close. The SGC's concrete floor was hard, biting into his shoulders, back and hip painfully, and cold, leaving goose bumps to travel down his spine. He tried his best to get comfortable somehow, but he hadn't much options. Lying on his back was hurting the less, he figured, even if he suspected he'd get a headache from the concrete. So he opted to lay his hands under his head. Looking to his side however he realized, Sam was faring even worse. She lay on her side with her back turned towards him and she only wore one of those sleeveless black tops, while he had at least his complete BDUs. He could see her shoulders shivering and could imagine the cold seeping into her all too well. Still, there wasn't much he could do to help her. He knew it was wasted effort to search for a blanket, they wouldn't even be able to lift it up anyway, let alone crawl under it.

Next to him, Sam rolled herself together in a fetal position, her trembling arms clutching her knees in a futile attempt to keep herself warm. He could almost see the effort it took her to keep her teeth from chattering, knowing that he would pick up on it. As if he could overlook her misery even now. And he could feel himself melt to her discomfort as he always did. "Cold, Carter?", he asked lowly.

Her shoulders stiffened, when he called out to her. "I'm alright, sir.", she assured him.

"That wasn't the question.", he clarified. For a moment there was silence, then she turned around to face him.

"Christ, Carter!", he barked out, before he could hold himself back. She looked at him mortified, surprised by his outbreak. But Jack's eyes were fixed on her pale face with her blueish lips that trembled slightly from the cold that sept into her body from the icy floor.  
He pulled one of his arms out from under his head, the one that was closest to her, and motioned her over. She didn't hesitate to crawl into his side, and this was telling him all he needed to know. He laid his arm around her and pulled her safely into his side. She nestled her head into the crook between his shoulder and his throat, and sighed content. He made sure that he draped his cloth-covered arm over her bare one, and then they tried to get comfortable for the night.  
And Jack sincerely hoped there was any sleep in for him, while he tried his best to not react to her warm breath that was blowing against his throat every time she exhaled.

SJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJ

Two days later, they still hadn't made any significant improvements. They still had to watch to not get run over by the personnel, they still had to sleep on the concrete floor, tangled with each other to avoid freezing to death, and they still couldn't use anything, even if they were able to touch it.

But what had Jack really worried was that they still weren't able to eat or drink. Even if they sat in front of filled plates at the commissary when they would follow Daniel and Teal'c, so they wouldn't miss any sufficient information, they weren't able to get anything into their mouths. Jack knew that his body would still be able to go on with this lack of nourishment, because he had been trained for it, and he had endured worse, but by now he was beginning to fear for Carter. She certainly wasn't trained for special ops, so he wasn't sure how much longer she could be holding on before her dehydration would get critical. Since this night he watched her like a hawk. They were hitting the critical three day mark of not having anything to drink. And what Jack saw on her, wasn't something he'd liked to observe. He noticed the first signs of exhaustion on her. She had slept through the whole night, not waking up once, even when he had stirred or moved next to her. She'd been dead to the world. Since the morning she was rubbing her temples from a headache she claimed she had, or scrubbing her hands over her face and her eyes tiredly. She was lacking ideas for them to get out of their situation, and that was a first since they had been stuck in here, wherever here was. The first two days she had thrown ideas at him like Frisbee's, expecting him to catch them (and their implications) and go along with them, but each attempt they had tried failed with the lack of communication. They couldn't get a message across to their friends to tell them, where they were. And they weren't catching on as fast as Jack had hoped. The first day they had spent combing the base – of course with no luck. The second day Daniel and Teal'c had tried to search through the surveillance video tapes, but they'd been interrupted with an emergency. Now Space-monkey was once more looking through the videos, while Teal'c was speaking with General Hammond in his office, waiting for Daniel to come up with something. And Jack would have expected Sam to hover over one of them, trying to influence them with her sheer will to find something, but she wasn't. She was sitting leaned against the wall of the briefing room, her gaze unsteady.

Worried, Jack walked over to her, sitting down next to her. "Sam?", he asked, feeling fed up with 'Carter' all of a sudden.

The tiny smile she gave him was enough reward for his easing up on his military restraint around her. "How're you feelin'?", he asked humbly.

"I'm fine.", she mumbled, and he didn't believe her one word. And as if she knew, she amended: "Just a bit exhausted."

"Understandable.", he agreed.

She sighed, obviously hating her drained state, but unable to do anything against it. She knew as well as he did that time was running out for them. If Daniel wasn't coming up with something in the next 24 hours, Jack doubted they would still need to worry about them much longer.

Sam rolled her head, trying to ease the pain in her neck and when she tilted it to the side, he was clearly able to see her slow pulse. Her body was working slower, trying to save its energy. This made it grossly clear for him how fast they were working towards their ends. It wasn't the hunger he was concerned of, humans could go weeks without food if necessary, but the thirst. They wouldn't withstand many more days without a drop of water. And since she was smaller, lighter and more moderately built, she was in more danger than he was, right now. Jack knew logically that she was bound to give in before him, but he refused to think of what that would mean. He couldn't stand the thought that he might have to watch her… die.

His throat restricted heavily, and as if trying to reassure himself, he reached forwards, laying an arm around her shoulder and pulling her in towards him. With an exhausted sigh she rested her head against his shoulder. "Don't worry, Danny-boy will come up with something.", he soothed, for a moment asking himself, if he was trying to reassure her or himself.

"Mhm.", she nodded, but not being able to see her face, he didn't know, if she believed him.

Daniel chose this exact moment to storm into the briefing room, waving a surveillance video tape up and down. "General! Teal'c!", he called out excitedly.

"See?", Jack smiled. "He found us."

"Yes.", Sam admitted with an apparent lack of enthusiasm. "But that doesn't have to mean anything, sir."

He frowned at her words. She sounded sure of something, as if she'd been aware of it longer. "Why?", he inquired simply.

Sam sighed and snuggled closer into his loose embrace. "Because, sir, as I said before, the device that got us stuck here is from the Ancients…"

"And?", he prompted, when she didn't continue.

"And I have touched it, as well as the guys from SG-7, and nothing happened.", she continued.

"Your point?", he asked, slowly losing his patience. He knew she was exhausted, but she knew as well that he wasn't in any mood to guess where she was headed.

"It probably activated, because you were the one to touch it. You have the ancient gene. But nobody else on this base has it, and you're stuck here. So even if they figure it out, nobody is able to turn it on to reverse the process…", Sam explained slowly.

"Oh…", he trailed of, immediately seeing her logic. Damn it all to hell and back!

So neither of them moved from their cozy spot on the cold concrete, when Daniel started the tape that showed Jack's and Sam's disappearance from her lab. They listened silently to Daniel explaining what might have happened – Jack wasn't surprised when the Space-monkey immediately came up with the same explanation as Sam had. Apparently the archaeologist had even managed to translate a few parts of the intricate writings on this device and figured it out to be a travelling device.

General Hammond raised his brows in astonishment. "Well, then where are Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter?", he inquired.

Daniel worried his lips, a sign of his being stressed out. "I can't say for sure, right now.", he admitted. "They could be on another planet, or they could simply have been beamed to another place on earth. But they could also be in another dimension, as well as another universe. I can't say, until I haven't finished analyzing this device…"

Wrong, Danny-boy, Jack thought. They were only a few inches away from them. But it was clear to him that whatever their friend would come up with would take too much time. Time Carter hadn't anymore.

"Is there anything we can do for them?", General Hammond asked into Jack's thoughts.

Daniel shrugged his shoulders. "I can't say."

The General sighed disappointed. "Well, I guess I will have to inform the President.", he admitted.

"Maybe it would be prudent to advise all staff to keep away from Major Carter's laboratory.", Teal'c stated suddenly. "I believe it unwise to have a repetition of what has happened to O'Neill and Major Carter."

General Hammond nodded. "I'll make Sergeant Harriman do a base-wide announcement."

The General rose and Jack copied his movement, carefully untangling himself from Sam.

"Where're you going?", Sam asked sluggishly, when he made to follow the General.

"I wanna hear what he's telling the President.", Jack explained, having a gut-feeling that he would be, once more, declared MIA. Jack almost sighed. How many times did that now make him declared MIA? Should be somewhere around the tenth? Hey, if they did survive this, a celebration was in order, he thought sarcastically. Well, at least, this time he'd gone MIA with Carter. Certainly beats Iraq or getting lost with Maybourne…

So Jack hurried after the General, who had sat down in his desk chair heavily, looking as if the world's weight was sitting on his shoulders. For a moment the General seemed to think, playing with the phone's handle in his hands, and then pressed the button for Harriman.

"_General?_", the loyal Sergeant asked dutifully.

"Sergeant, make an announcement that nobody in this base is from now on allowed to go into Major Carter's lab without my explicit permission.", the General ordered. "Is that understood?" The Sergeant affirmed it without missing a beat.

"This is wasted effort…", Jack muttered under his breath, thinking of Sam's explanation.

"_Sir?_", Harriman asked confused.

"Yes?", General Hammond answered back, as equally puzzled at having Harriman questioning him after a clear order.

"_Did you just say something?_", Harriman inquired.

"No. Why would you think so?", Hammond replied, looking at his phone bewildered.

"_I'm sorry. I just thought I heard a voice say something…_", Harriman trailed off, sounding even more confused.

Jack was baffled. What had Harriman heard? Could it possibly be…?  
Taken by a strong feeling of hope that was clearly uncharacteristic for him, Jack surged forwards, calling into the phone's handle General Hammond still cradled: "Walter, can you hear me?"

"_Sir?_", Harriman called out, his voice alarmed.

"What?", General Hammond inquired, now getting alarmed, too, but Jack bowled him over, intend on taking this chance: "Walter, this is Colonel O'Neill speaking! Can you hear me?"

"_Colonel O'Neill?_", Harriman echoed, and while General Hammond took a second to observe the phone's handle as if it had grown a head, Jack silently thumped his fist in the air. He had no clue, why Harriman could hear him, but he did and that was all he needed. Thank you, god!

"What about Colonel O'Neill?", General Hammond inquired of his loyal Sergeant.

"_I just heard his voice through the line._", Harriman explained.

General Hammond looked around as if he expected his 2IC to turn up magically, but while Jack was standing only inches away from him, the older man couldn't see him. "Walter, there is no one here.", Hammond explained slowly, patiently.

"Wrong, Walter!", Jack immediately cut in. "I'm standing right next to the General, but he can't see me!"

There was a short moment of silence, then the Sergeant reported dutifully: "_Colonel O'Neill says, he's standing right next to you, sir, but you couldn't see him._"

Now General Hammond shot out of his chair, looking around frantically. He even tried to wave around the air, as if trying to hit Jack by accident.

"Sir, that's not working. And I'm not a fly.", Jack grumbled. Technically General Hammond may have been able to hit him, but Jack so didn't need his hand to connect with his jaw or something else, thank you very much.

Harriman chuckled, and General Hammond stilled in his movement. Instantly, the loyal Sergeant went to explain himself: "_Um, Colonel O'Neill said, whatever you were doing, wouldn't work. He wasn't a fly…_"

Now General Hammond's eyes widened in disbelief. For a moment there was silence and then he ordered: "Walter, get up here immediately. And page SG-1 to come, too!"

Ah, Jack smiled triumphantly, now they were getting somewhere. The General was convinced of his presence here. Feeling quite smug with himself, Jack left the General's office to look after Sam. She still sat slumped against the wall. He stopped in front of her, looking down on her concerned.

"Hey, Carter!", he called out. "I could get a message across to the General!"

She looked up at him surprised, hope shining from her eyes. "Really?"

He nodded. "Don't know why, though, but Walter could hear my voice through the phone, when he spoke to General Hammond."

Sam seemed astonished. "But the General couldn't hear you?"

"No."

Sam's eyes grew distant and he knew she was thinking this piece of information through. "It makes sense, somehow.", she decided finally. "We can't really operate a phone, but we're still here somehow, in our reality, and while the people around us can't hear us, the phone is still able to transmit our voices and ricochets them, so obviously the other one in the line can hear the words we say…"

He shrugged, not really caring for the details. "As long as we can communicate with them…"

She nodded. Then, suddenly, Harriman walked up the stairs, followed closely by Daniel and Teal'c. "What happened?", Daniel wanted to know instantly.

Jack offered a hand to Sam and when she took it, he pulled her to her feet. She stumbled wobblingly and he decided to wrap an arm around her waist to help steady her. Together they walked up to the briefing table to stop there with Harriman and the rest of SG-1. General Hammond came from his office, walking briskly and determinedly. "We believe Colonel O'Neill is still here, somewhere, somehow.", he explained.

"Really?", Daniel asked, hope flashing in his eyes. "Jack?", he called out experimentally.

Next to him, Teal'c raised an eyebrow. "If this were successful, Daniel Jackson, then I believe, O'Neill would have communicated with us already."

"Thank you, T!", Jack called out, rolling his eyes at Daniel's lame attempt.

"Okay, okay.", Daniel relented. "Was worth a try. So how do we communicate with him?"

General Hammond smiled, when he recounted: "When I was talking to Sergeant Harriman on the phone, he was able to hear Colonel O'Neill's voice on the other line, although I could not hear him. And that, although Jack was apparently standing right next to me…"

Now, Jack could almost see the wheels turn in Daniels head. Then the archaeologist turned and walked towards the two SF's, who were standing guard at the staircase. He pointed towards their radios and asked: "Can I borrow them?"

They looked at General Hammond for affirmation and when the General nodded, they both unstrapped them from their vests and handed them to the archaeologist.

Jack turned to Sam inquisitively, seeing what Daniel was about to do. "Will that work?"

She nodded pensively. "It might be."

Daniel returned to the briefing table. He laid one radio in the middle of the table and the other closer to an edge, by pure coincidence in front of Jack and Sam, who stood next to the archaeologist.

"Jack?", Daniel called out, looking around carefully. "Say something?"

Jack rolled his eyes. "Daniel, how am I supposed to say something? You can't hear me anyway without someone pushing that little, important button on that radio!"

The archaeologist's shoulders slumped disappointed, when silence reigned in the briefing room. Then, to their surprise, it was Teal'c who reached forwards and pushed the button, keeping it down with his thumb.

"What are you doing, Teal'c?", Daniel asked.

"I am trying something.", the Jaffa stated confidently. "Maybe O'Neill has no possibility to communicate without our help. Or he could have already picked up any phone himself and call anyone within this base."

"Damn right!", Jack said, and astonishingly, his voice echoed from the second radio. All eyes shot to the innocent radio lying in the middle of the briefing table, and surprised silence fell upon the room.

"Holy Hannah, did they hear that…?", Sam whispered overwhelmed, and again, her voice was ricocheted by the radio.

"Sam!", Daniel called out relieved. "You're both here?"

"Yes, Daniel. In fact, we're standing right beside you.", Jack confirmed.

Daniel turned. For the wrong side. "Other side.", Jack mumbled exasperated and Sam couldn't suppress a light giggle. Daniel turned again. His eyes shone bright and watery. "You have no idea how good it is to hear your voices!", the archaeologist admitted.

"Same back to you.", Jack replied. "We've been trying to get anyone to notice us for three frickin' days!"

"So you've been here the whole time?", General Hammond asked.

"Yes, sir.", Sam confirmed. "We cannot exactly leave the base."

"Why not?", Teal'c inquired.

"Because while we can touch anything, we cannot operate, move or use anything. We can't even open a door. We're here and at the same time, we're not…", Sam explained.

General Hammond, Teal'c and Daniel shot a surprised gaze at each other. "Maybe there went something wrong with the travelling device?", Daniel theorized. "Because I can't imagine the Ancients would create something so… useless."

"Whatever! Just reverse it already!", Jack snapped, losing his patience with his scientist friend.

General Hammond cleared his throat awkwardly. "Colonel, I'm not sure, it's so easy.", he began. "We can't risk anyone touching this thing and getting… sucked away, just like you two."

Jack waited for Sam to jump in with her explanation, but she didn't. She merely leaned heavier on him, her exhaustion getting to her. So he took over. "Nobody will be harmed by it. Carter and SG-7 have already touched it without anything happening. Carter thinks it's because you need the ancient gene to get it running…", he explained.

Daniel's eyes lit up understandingly. "That may be true!", he agreed, but then frowned. Obviously he had found a fault in that logic. "But why has Sam also disappeared, if it was only you, who touched it, Jack?"

Jack rolled his eyes at his friend's curiosity. "Because Carter was standing a bit too near to me, when it activated.", he chose to state it like that.

The archaeologist opened his mouth, no doubt to sprout a whole lot of theories, but Jack's attention was drawn from him, when Sam's body slumped against him all of a sudden. On instinct Jack gripped onto her harder, yanking her against his body to steady her. She felt heavy and… boneless, somehow. Slowly, Jack lowered her onto the ground. Her eyes were closed and her breathing shallow. Immediately fear gripped him tightly, while his fingers rushed to search for her pulse. Still there, but slow and light.

"Carter? Carter!", he called out to her, not realizing that the radio copied his calls, transmitting them through the room. She didn't react to him. He began tapping her cheek with his fingers, but she wouldn't come around for him. "Sam! SAM!", he yelled, by now worry having a fierce, crushing grip on him.

"Jack!? What's happened?", Daniel questioned frantically, getting infected by the alarm in his voice.

"Carter's lost consciousness!", he reported through gritted teeth, trying to reign in his feelings so he could think.

"Why? What is wrong?", General Hammond asked concerned.

"Well, since we can't touch anything around here anymore, she hasn't eaten or drunk anything in the last three days…", Jack explained hurriedly. Then sighing deeply, he admitted: "I'm afraid her body's giving in to exhaustion and dehydration…"

The silence that followed was heavy and worried. It was General Hammond, who recovered first. Turning towards Daniel, he ordered: "Assign every doctor you deem necessary to this device! It will take absolute priority! And don't try to reverse the process for now, focus on getting something to where Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter are, so we can send them food and water!"

Daniel nodded and rushed out of the room, Teal'c on his heels. Jack thanked all gods known for General Hammond's quick thinking.

"And Jack? Try to keep the Major around!", the General said gently.

"Tryin' my best here.", he answered quietly. Then again the General couldn't hear him anymore, since Teal'c had stopped pressing the button. General Hammond seemed to notice and went to his office. He came back with a strip of tape, gluing the button down, so the radio could receive.

Jack looked up and smiled briefly. "Thank you, sir.", he said softly.

The General nodded. "We'll leave the radio on for you, and I will call for Doctor Fraiser. Maybe she can give you advice on how to handle the situation. Call, if you need anything."

Jack nodded, although nobody could see it. "Will do.", he confirmed.

"Good luck.", the General said, while looking sadly in the vast direction where he was hovering over the unconscious Sam. Jack looked down on her, when the General turned to call Janet, taking Harriman with him for further orders. Jack's eyes bore into Sam. She was unnaturally pale, looking generally unhealthy.

"Hold on, Sam, please.", he whispered, this time quietly enough so no one else was picking up on it.

SJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJ

Jack tried his best not to count the seconds ticking by, but he couldn't help the scowling. What the _hell_ was Daniel doing?! Where was he? Wasn't he supposed to come around with some solution?

Again the Colonel shot a quick look at the nearest clock. _Two hours!_ It's already been two hours…

Raking his hand through his hair frustrated, he glanced down at Sam. She hadn't stirred in those hours, not even once. He kept his fingers on her neck to constantly check for her pulse and was relieved that it was still going strong, but no matter what he'd said or done, she wouldn't come around…

By now he was seriously worried. Napoleon had been there to advise him, but truthfully, even the Doc couldn't do a thing without any supplies or a closer look on her patient. Still, she kept a nurse in the briefing room, so if Sam's condition would worsen, all Jack had to do was call out for help. Not that they could help them, but he figured it was the thought that counted.

Suddenly Jack heard a commotion and looked up. Daniel stormed into the briefing room, Teal'c right behind him. Daniel was carrying that doohickey thingy that had gotten them in this mess in the first place, and, for once, Jack saw something on the other man's face he hadn't seen very often: annoyance. Behind his friends the Doctors Felger, Lee and two others Jack didn't remember the names or professions of burst into the room. He was sure, Carter would've known these things, but it wasn't as if she could help him now…

"No, seriously, I don't know how _often_ I have to tell you, we _are lacking the time_!", Daniel said in a manner that told Jack, he'd probably said that particular sentence a few dozen times.

"I understand.", Lee nodded hastily. "But you must see that we cannot risk any unnecessary…"

Daniel shushed him with an impatient wave of his hand. The Doctors scrambled around him, all at once trying to get their points across to him, and all of a sudden Jack, sitting only a few feet away, felt crowded. Hey, hey, the last thing he needed right now was someone stepping onto Carter!

"Watch where you're trampling!", he shouted, his voice echoing through the radio powerfully.

All Doctors jumped in surprise and Jack couldn't help the smile. This was why he loved his job: the world's best and smartest Doctors and he could make them scramble in fear with a well-placed glare or comment.

"It appears you might want to watch your step.", Teal'c advised the confused Doctors. "If I remember correctly, then Major Carter is lying here, somewhere."

The Doctors looked around, as if they'd magically gain the ability to spot the invisible and Jack had to quell the urge to roll his eyes. Sometimes he had to remind himself that those were indeed the smartest people his country had to offer…

Daniel seemed to use the momentary distraction and laid the artifact on the briefing table. "Jack?", he called out. "We've tried, but in this short time we can't come up with a permanent solution for your… problem."

Jack sighed. He could feel the crawling of the seconds ticking away like a pressure in his neck. Time was running out for Carter. He was about to snap at Daniel that giving up was no option, when the archaeologist continued: "But I'd like to try something."

Oh, he was open for anything if it meant the slightest chance that he would not have to watch Carter suffer anymore.

Daniel inhaled and then explained: "You said you activated it by touch, right? And Sam was contaminated, because she was standing too close to you, yes? So, maybe, and this is just a cracked theory, if we place an item next to the artifact and you touch it to activate it, the item could get transported to the level of existence where you are…"

For the first time since she collapsed, Jack left Carter and stood up. Simple, so simple. But maybe that was all they needed for it to work. If he could activate the doohickey from where he was, then it would work, he realized. Maybe there really was a chance for them! And importantly, for Carter!

He stopped next to Daniel and said steadily: "Let's try."

Daniel looked around, unsure where to speak to, but then shrugged and turned towards the doohickey. He looked around for something to experiment on and then snagged the radio from the table. He placed it right next to the doohickey and then stared at it expectantly. Jack grinned at Daniel's hopeful expression, while the other Doctors behind him looked highly skeptical. Jack reached forwards and laid his hand on the doohickey. He tried, but he could not move it. He sighed. Could he still activate it, even if he couldn't really touch it? Well, only one way to find out. Ancient technology usually worked by thought, so he concentrated on it.

"_Do something, you stupid malfunctioning excuse of an artifact…!_", he growled inwardly.

Suddenly there were 'oooh's and 'aaah's to be heard and Jack jerked his hand away. What happened? Had anything happened at all? "Daniel?", he asked warily.

"Jack?", Daniel asked back. "The radio vanished. Did you get it?"

Jack's eyebrows rose. The radio vanished? But it was still lying there next to the doohickey, right where Daniel had placed it…

Then understanding dawned on him. It had worked! He had activated the doohickey, even if he couldn't move it, and it had transported the radio to them! Jack almost lunged forward and curled his fingers around the radio. He lifted it up. He could move it! And he could use it, he realized, when he ripped off the tape and pushed down the button himself.

"Yes, I have it. And I can use it.", he reported through the radio.

A collective heave of relief was heard throughout the room. Thank god, Jack thought! Talk about finding the solution at the last second…

"Thank you…", Daniel murmured silently, only Jack being able to hear it. Behind him the other Doctors congratulated each other to the success none of them had helped with.

Jack growled and then, letting out the stress of the last days, he snapped through the radio: "Well, what the hell are you all waitin' for? Get water here, before Carter decides to give up on me here!"

Jack wasn't really surprised to see Felger running to fulfill his demand. Crouching down next to his 2IC, while he waited for the water and the other things Daniel now began to list, which he believed might aid him and Carter, he allowed himself a moment to stroke her cheek. Now everything was going to be fine. She was going to be fine.

SJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJ

Another two days had passed by, since Carter had recovered, and to Jack's complete frustration, they hadn't gotten any further than they've been before.

Well, given, if they needed something, they could ask for it to be placed next to the doohickey and Jack could transport it to them. By now they got food and water regularly and had full access to an entire guest quarter – to which all other personnel was under the strict order to not touch under any circumstances so they wouldn't get stuck in the room– complete with blankets and pillows he had conveyed to them. So they weren't in any danger from starving anymore and could sleep in an almost comfy bed at nights, even with blankets. So, by all means, Jack was aware he should be glad. But he wasn't. They weren't any further in finding a solution to their problem, even if Daniel and Sam managed to work together with the radios quite successfully. Sam might not be able to touch anything, but Daniel was, so she merely communicated what he needed to do. Still, even the combined efforts of SG-1's geniuses had not brought the solution to light. They were still stuck with no visible way back. And it was grating on Jack's nerves. He wasn't the most patient man and almost a week in this condition was about enough to do him in.

"Sir, could you… maybe stop with the pacing?", Carter asked into his gloomy thoughts.

He looked down onto his moving feet. Huh, when had he started pacing? Grumbling he went to stand beside her, leaning with his hip against the briefing table. Sam was leaning forwards to watch some analysis her faithful laptop was running on this doohickey, which still laid proudly right in the middle of the briefing table. Well, as far as Jack was concerned, the laptop had sprouted numbers that basically told them _nothing_ for hours, and he failed to see, what could be soo fascinating by that (but apparently, Carter could). Even Daniel had gotten bored, and stating that this program was about to take at least a day (oh joy), he had gone to help the other Doctors in trying to find a way to reverse the effect of the doohickey. And had left Jack with nothing better to do than watch Carter's back, while she observed the laptop do its work. Talk about a wasted day…

Sam sighed and looked up at him pleadingly. "Sir, I really can't concentrate like that!", she stated.

What had he done now? All he'd done was watching her! Oh. What? Now he wasn't even allowed to watch her? What should he do the whole day long? Wasn't as if he could help with the doohickey…

He grumbled something unintelligible under his breath, trying his best not to look at her. God beware he interrupted her precious work!

"What?", she asked, obviously thinking he'd been talking to her.

"Nothing!", he snapped back, not able to hold back his sour mood from his tone. He could see her cringe from his harsh words and immediately regretted it. She observed him, trying to decide whether to ask him what was wrong or leave him to brood in silence.

"Don't you have something _important_ to do?", Jack sulked.

Her eyes narrowed in this you-really-think-what-I'm-doing-isn't-important?-way. Jack was acutely aware that he was dancing on her line of patience, but still he couldn't help himself. He was also aware that she was probably as annoyed with the situation as he was, only she was able to cope with it better. "Yes, sir, I do.", she stated boldly with her chin raised.

"Then please do not let your CO hinder you from it.", he advised sharply.

"Well, I'm trying here!", she called out, half-frustrated, half-pissed off.

Again he grumbled something and by now, one of Carter's eyebrows started to twitch. "Sir, _what_ exactly do you want me to do?", she asked, about to lose it with him.

"Nothing, Carter! Because we can't do anything!", he shot back, his patience drained.

"Are you saying, this is my fault?", she questioned, the stress getting to her, too. "Because I fail in reversing the process?"

"I'm not saying anything like that!", he growled. "Don't go putting words in my mouth!"

"I did not do such a thing, sir!", she defended herself.

Jack wanted to hit something, if only to let off some steam, but unfortunately, that wouldn't have any effect. The only thing he could have any interaction with right now was Carter, so she had to bear the brunt of his frustration with the whole situation. He knew it was unfair to her, but right now he was almost too far gone to care. To his dismay, however, right now Carter was someone you couldn't really argue with. Because she still did her damnest to get them out of their misery, while he was basically only getting on her nerves. She was working frantically on finding a solution with the few possibilities they had, while he paced around her like a caged tiger and demanded for her to work faster. He had no idea, how she still put up with him.

But right now, efficiently as she was and as much as he adored her, he needed a let-out for his stress, and there was nothing but her present. But she wasn't giving him an opening. So he snapped at the smallest things, trying to find a way where to put his anger and frustration. "Stop calling me 'sir'!", he barked.

"But, sir…!", she objected immediately.

He instantly went for it. "Damn it, Carter! We may still be in a military facility, but as you yourself said, we aren't really in this reality anymore! So stop with the 'sir'!"

"Level of existence.", she corrected absentmindedly.

He glared at her intimidatingly. "Who cares?", he spat. "My point is nobody will court-martial you, if you ease up on the military ways a bit!"

"But, sir…!", she began anew.

"Carter, there's no one here but us! There're no other officers here, no witnesses! There're not even any regs here! There won't be any consequences! So give me a break, will ya?"

She opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out. She just stared at him in amazement, her mouth hanging uncharacteristically open. Then she blushed furiously, forgetting all about answering him. And to top it off, she wandered away. She left her laptop behind to go stand against the wall opposite of him, glancing back at him repeatedly. Jack raised a brow at her antics. What was her problem?

He went through what he'd just said in his head once more, going through every sentence to decipher what could have had her so flustered. He'd practically told her there were no regs existent around here, and there would be no consequences…

Oh, boy! He'd definitely not meant it like that! But interesting, where her mind had wandered…

Then the full meaning of his words crashed down on him. No regs! No consequences! No one here but them! No witnesses! No one to bring a court-martial down on them…

His eyes wandered back to Sam and locked on her. He could feel his blood pressure rise and the blood rushing through his veins beginning to boil as he thought of the possibilities. He longed to reach out and touch her, just to run his fingers over her bare arms or brush an errant strand of hair out of her face, but right now was not the time for that. He had just managed to almost crush his resistance towards her with his own words. Stupid, Jack, stupid!

Subconsciously, in a gesture of nervousness, her tongue darted out and licked over her lips, and he almost groaned out loud. Still, he couldn't help the tiniest sound to escape his throat, while watching her. He noticed that her breathing was getting faster, and astonishingly, his own matched hers. They were still apart from each other, she standing against the wall of the briefing room, he leaning against the briefing table, and they were already reacting to each other so intensely!

She gulped and his eyes were drawn briefly to her exposed throat, where he could see her pulse race underneath her almost translucent skin.

"Jack…!", she said, undoubtedly in an attempt to say something to bring them both back to their senses, but unfortunately it had the complete opposite effect on him. His name falling from her lips was the last snap to his thin-wearing endurance, and before he had even commanded his feet to do so, he had crossed the distance between them.

The next thing Jack became aware of – acutely aware of – was his mouth on Sam's. He pressed his lips fervently onto hers, while his body draped itself along hers. One of his hands went to the concrete next to her head, while the other grabbed onto her chin to tilt her head up towards him. His lips moved on hers, trying to coax a reaction out of her. He was aware she'd been taken by surprise, but the moment her head caught up with his actions, she was enthusiastically kissing him back. Their lips moved with each other, all lust, passion and pent-up feelings they were conveying to each other. They weren't gentle with each other, but neither seemed to need or want it. They fuelled each other on, like gasoline added to a burning fire. She opened her mouth to him, he didn't hesitate to slip his tongue into her mouth. Their tongues danced around each other's, their breaths mingling. Sam clutched onto his shirt, pulling him closer to her, and he pressed into her, effectively trapping her between his body and the hard wall in her back. One of her hands travelled to his neck and grabbed onto the short strands of his hair, while she moaned into his kiss. He didn't think it possible, but it just made him want her more! All the time she had been unreachable, forbidden to touch, and while she still was all that, they had been thrown into a twilight zone, where all lines and borders from their reality disappeared. Only here and now, he could get away with wanting her – and maybe even having her. At least for a bit.

And seeing that she was all in for it, Jack was determined to milk this situation for what it was worth. His fingers travelled down from her neck over her collarbone and then her shoulder blade. He reveled in the feel of her body under his fingertips, even if it was still covered by cloth. He ran his fingers down her bare arm, feeling the goose bumps starting to form where he'd touched, and then lightly skipped them over her waist to circle on her lower back. She arched into his touch, trying to follow his hand with her body. When he lightened his touch, she would whimper disappointed, but whenever he applied the right pressure and caressed her sensually, she would moan into his mouth. He was feeling ridiculously proud of how open she was with her reactions to him, and, of course, her being so responsive was a huge thrill for him.

Her hands left his neck and shirt and started their own travel down his front, caressing his chest playfully. Still, neither of them broke their kiss, while they each discovered the other's body. It only managed to heat up their kiss, getting them both completely out of breath.

Finally he broke their connection. Instantly she slumped against him, her breathing heavy and labored. He buried his face in her neck, placing soft kisses on her heated skin. Her fingers dug into his chest, her nails scratching futilely at his jacket.

"Jack…!", she whispered breathlessly and he could feel himself shudder in response to her husky voice. He knew this was getting out of hand. Fast.

He tried to pull back, feeling as if he was surfacing from a bubble, when he became suddenly aware of their surroundings. They were making out against the wall of the briefing room! He could hear the low rumble of General Hammond's voice in his office, and any second some Airman could walk in on them. Given they wouldn't see them, but Jack was sure it would still put a damper on the mood. Hell, even Space-monkey or Teal'c could walk in on them, even without ever knowing.

"Sam…!", he breathed heavily. It didn't help that she chose this moment to begin trailing kisses along his throat.

"Yes?", she answered automatically, but he knew her attention was more on his jugular right now than his words. Still, he needed her help, because he as sure as hell wasn't strong enough to stop them both! He had trouble reminding himself what exactly his problem was. Sam was here, with him, in his arms, responding rather eagerly to his touches! Why again was there even a problem? No one would see them anyway, so who the fuck cared, where they were, as long as she didn't stop doing… Oh, _yes_, something like that!

He groaned, and simultaneously Sam's hands worked on unbuttoning his BDU jacket, revealing the black t-shirt underneath. Immediately her hands were on it, pulling it out of his pants to get her fingers under it.

"Sam!", he bit out unrestrained, when her fingers lovingly caressed his abs.

This time he managed to draw back enough so he could look into her face. The look of unmasked want and that _whatever_ they always left in some room almost made him throw all qualms out of the proverbial window. Almost. "Sam, we need to…!"

He couldn't finish the sentence, before she broke in. "No…", she whispered obstinately. "No, we don't! You yourself said there were no regs here, no consequences!"

"I know!", Jack answered, trying his best to think coherently, while her fingers skimmed around his waist to explore the muscles on his back. "But that doesn't mean I want to take advantage of you, just because the situation presents itself…" Did his words make any sense? He hoped so. He had lost track of them mid-sentence…

She chuckled and stepped closer again to mold herself against him. He shouldn't enjoy her close proximity and the warmth radiating from her so much, but hell, he did! "I'm not seeing you take advantage of me.", she made it clear.

"You sure?", Jack asked, licking his dry lips, which immediately made her eyes focus onto his mouth. And just because she did that, he leaned forward and began kissing her again, light and short, but deep nonetheless. "It feels like it, though."

"Positive.", she answered around his kisses. "I'm quite… a… willing… participant… here!"

He grinned against her lips, and having her permission, he felt his restraint slip immediately. With a swift movement he ripped her shirt from her pants and let his calloused hands wander under it, feeling up her taught stomach and the soft skin of her waist. She sighed contently, breaking their kiss. He used the moment to roam his lips down her neck to her collarbone and then her bare shoulder.

"Still…!", he began.

Sam made an annoyed sound, and just for good measure, hooked her left leg around his waist to pull him against her. He cursed out loud, when she brought their hips together with her movement, and closed his eyes briefly to try to regain his composure.

"Sam!", he pressed out, this time a reprimand as much a plea for her to halt momentarily.

"No, Jack!", she contradicted him. "I want this. You want this. We're not stopping this!"

And to prove her point she moved her hips against him. Jack swore there were stars dancing in his vision for the tiniest split of a second. But damn it was she good! It was getting too much. Too much, too fast. And yet not enough, not fast enough. There was still too much clothing in his way!

"I'm not stopping this.", he explained and to show her, he moved his hands up to run them over her bra, caressing her with the barest hint of a touch. Still the moan he elicited from her was as much of an ego boost as a promise that they would go through with this. "I'm just suggesting we continue this somewhere else.", he continued.

"Somewhere else?", she echoed, her glazed over eyes trying to determine what was wrong with their current location. Her focus left him, but he didn't notice as his attention was captured with kissing his way up her throat to her face to recapture her lips, flicking out his tongue here and there as he went. She sighed deeply, her eyes closing involuntarily at his ministrations.

"Don't know about you…", he began, speaking right into her ear, before teasing it with his tongue. "But if we finish this here, I'll never be able to sit through any briefing again!"

She nodded to his words, her blush deepening, when she finally realized, where exactly they were standing. It took her a moment, but she unhooked her leg from his waist. He stepped back and took in her disheveled form and her heaving chest, hearing her deep, erratic breathing. Still, he couldn't stand the separation from her the moment he stepped back. So he held out his hand, and immediately she took it. Together they left the briefing room in search for a quiet corner of their own.

SJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJ

"Jack, I really need to work here!", Sam huffed out, trying her hardest to sound put-out and not about to melt into a puddle of goo at the attention he was paying to her neck.

"Not holdin' you back.", he said, his voice a muffled noise against the skin of the hollow between her shoulder and her throat.

Sam snorted. "You're distracting me.", she complained, slapping at the hand he tried to sneak under her top.

"I'm bored.", he stated and then continued with a voice she could hear the Cheshire-cat-grin in. "And you're my new favorite toy to play with."

"Gee, I assume I should feel honored?", she pouted, not really liking that he called her a toy.

He stopped his ministrations and pulled her back against his frame, embracing her with his arms from behind. "You know, how I meant it."

And yes, she knew. She knew this wasn't just a joke, a play to him. If anything they had established last night that whatever was between them ran deeper than any light fling. Given, they hadn't really talked about it, but they almost never talked about things. But, and that was why it worked so well between them, they didn't need to. From the beginning on they had been able to communicate accurately with the slightest hints, their body language their most favorite means of communication. She could read him as good as he could read her. They knew what the other's gazes, the slightest lingering touches, the soothing presence of the other in the background meant. And they'd certainly done enough touching the past night to _not_ leave _any_ doubt of the other's feelings and intentions.

Sam couldn't help the satisfied grin as much as she could hide the blush that crept onto her face upon thinking of the previous night. Boy, what a night it had been! _Never_ had she experienced such a night before…

"Whatcha thinkin' of?", he asked into her thoughts, obviously picking up on her distracted state. She wanted to answer, but when she opened her mouth only a big, unexpected yawn escaped.

He chuckled, sounding far too pleased with himself for her liking. "Tired?", he inquired slyly.

"Yeah, and whose fault is that, exactly?", she shot back, thinking he needed to be brought back to the ground a notch.

"Guilty as charged.", he admitted, before turning to continue speaking into her ear: "But I didn't hear you complain yesterday. In fact I can remember an occasion or two where you might have begged me to–"

Oh, now he was so getting ahead of himself! Sam turned in his embrace, effectively cutting him off mid-sentence, and laid her arms around his neck. He looked at her with a smug smirk that made her want to wipe it from his face. It should be forbidden for him to look so sexy or she would never make any progress on that alien technology she was supposed to study here. His dark eyes zeroed in on her, and Sam had to actively remind herself why it was important for her to work on that… doohickey. It was vital, because she needed to find a way for them to go back… wasn't it? Surely it was _not_ good to wish to just stay here in their own bubble far away from the reality. A reality with certain regulations…

Jack closed in on her and she sighed in automatic response, knowing by now that he was about to kiss her, again. Really, she shouldn't crave it so much after all the kissing they'd done last night. She shouldn't be so giddy and excited about it, and surely she shouldn't feel millions of butterflies race through her stomach at the mere thought of it? She probably also shouldn't raise on her toes to meet him halfway and she shouldn't… hear footsteps?

Before Sam had time to realize what had happened, a familiar voice called out: "Jack? Sam? Are you there?"

Sam saw Jack's eyes close in exasperation, a heated "For cryin' out loud!" escaping his lips, before he drew back from her completely and went to kick the briefing table in frustration.

Sam turned back to where her laptop stood, proudly presenting the results of the tests she probably should have checked already yesterday and grabbed onto the radio lying next to the laptop. "Daniel.", she acknowledged the man, who had just stepped into the briefing room, followed by Teal'c.

"Space-monkey. What _important_ reason do we owe this displeasure?", Jack growled crankily.

Sam shot him a look, when Daniel stopped, looking around irritated by the sudden confrontation with hostility.

"So, how's the mood today?", Daniel asked sarcastically, while throwing a thick folder onto the briefing table, undoubtedly for General Hammond.

"Has been better.", the Colonel grouched, still sulking.

Sam rolled her eyes annoyed. "Don't mind the Colonel, Daniel.", she advised. "He… hasn't slept very well."

Again his eyes focused on her and Sam thanked her fast reflexes that made her release the radio's receiving button, when Jack declared complacent: "Oh, but I beg to differ. That was definitely one of the best nights in my life!"

"Still, you didn't get much sleep, did you?", she hissed back, angry at herself, when his comment made her blood boil in her body in a traitorous way. He raised an eyebrow haughtily and Sam knew he was about to say something that would seriously endanger her blood pressure, so she couldn't help but be relieved, when General Hammond stepped into the briefing room.

"I assume, SG-1 is present and accounted for?", the General greeted, a smile gracing his lips.

"Indeed.", Teal'c answered.

The General took his seat at the table's head and motioned for SG-1 to do the same. Teal'c and Daniel copied his movements, but of course neither Jack nor Sam could move a chair back to sit down in it.

Jack grabbed the radio from Sam and soon his voice echoed from the counterpart still lying on the briefing table. "Danny-boy? A chair? Do you mind?"

Daniel grumbled, but then pulled back the chair next to his. "Please sit down, Sam.", the archaeologist said sweetly, totally ignoring Jack.

Sam watched her CO, who had a suspiciously throbbing vein at his temple, his eyes seizing up the archaeologist in a tell-tale way. "Oh please, sir, take the seat!", she offered hastily, trying to break up a fight between the two friends before it could erupt full-force in front of General Hammond.

He looked at her, ready to object, so Sam just perched herself on the edge of the briefing table and nudged him pointedly. He rolled his eyes, but sat down anyways. He grumbled displeased, but Sam had any intention to ignore it. That was, until he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her into his lap. His heavy, muscular legs moved aside to make room for her, coming to rest at either side of her hips. His hands released her waist, but his fingers continued to play around her midriff. He leaned back into his seat, but Sam sat stiff, with a ramrod straight back, unable to relax, when she practically sat face-to-face with the General while being perched in her CO's lap.

"Relax.", he ordered. "It's better like that, isn't it?"

That depends on the perspective, she mused silently. She could understand where the Colonel came from, because her recent place ensured that she could sit throughout the briefing without obscuring his view by balancing on the edge of the briefing table. Still, she was pretty sure, the General would see it different if he would have been able to see them…

And this wasn't the last time Sam was seriously glad that the ancient technology hid them from view. Throughout the whole briefing, where Daniel narrated the progress he, Sam and a whole bunch of other Doctors had made on the alien technology (none), Sam was uncharacteristically distracted. Which was, completely, the Colonel's fault, because it had taken him all of about five minutes to become bored with Daniel's lecture and since then he passed the time with running his fingers over her waist, her hip, her stomach and her thighs. As much as Sam tried, she couldn't concentrate on the briefing, even if her life would have depended on it. She caught the gist of it, but she was just the tiniest bit too slow to answer questions (and she sincerely hoped they put it up to the radio she had to use) and she usually thought herself to be more elaborate with words…

But yeah, it seemed as if her focus was deterred elsewhere, try as she might. Whenever he shifted and his legs moved against hers, Sam had to suppress a longing sigh along with the memories of the last night, which threatened to surge to the surface unbidden…

Then, suddenly, and completely unexpected, Sam knew the reason. All the while Daniel tried to explain to General Hammond, why they couldn't find any fault with the ancient technology, and Sam was stunned. _Of course_, that was the only explanation!

"Sam?", Jack's voice rumbled behind her. He appeared to have picked up on her sudden tensing up.

Sam gnawed on her lip. She had to tell him, she figured.

Sam tried to turn, but he took up too much space for her to be able to twist enough to see him. Exhaling irritated, she leaned back until her back came in contact with his chest and looked up to him. He raised an eyebrow questioningly, and without being aware, laid his arms around her, nestling her against him.

"Sir, there is nothing wrong with the device.", she whispered to him.

"You sure?", he murmured. "Because, well, we're stuck here. Still. With no way back."

She smiled amused. "Sir, I'm pretty sure, we could go back any minute we wanted."

"Oh? How come?"

"Sir, nobody could find any fault with the technology, me and Daniel included.", she began. He looked at her meaningfully, indicating her to continue.

"What I mean to say, sir, is if nothing is wrong with the gadget, then what's the only other possibility, where it could have gone wrong?", she hinted.

For a moment he appeared confused, but then he caught on. "Me.", he concluded.

She nodded. "The ancient technology works by thought, and my best guess is that, since you didn't know that it was supposed to be a travelling device, your thoughts weren't precise enough for the device to operate on. It never was supposed to turn out like that, it was a mere accident, if you want to call it like that."

"So I just need to tell this thing to get us back and we'll return?", he questioned, following her line of thought.

Again she nodded. For a moment they looked at each other, both lost in thought.

Sam felt a melancholic pull at the thought of reappearing at the SGC. The closeness they had allowed each other to have here would have to be shoved into another room, locked tightly, and Sam couldn't help but hate the thought with vigor. She was surprised by how much she didn't want it.

"Well, think you can… I don't know… take one or two more days to figure that out?", he suggested lowly.

"Sir?", she probed perplexed.

"Come on, Carter, I know you're a freakin' genius, but cut yourself some slack once in a while. Maybe this is your chance to get a little more… _rest_?", he advised, grinning in a way that told her instantly that her _rest_ was the furthest thing on his mind, even if, most likely, a bed was involved…

She smiled back conspiratorially. "I don't know, sir.", she threw in. "I would basically withhold information from my Commanding Officer, wouldn't I? I'm not sure that is regulation-conform…"

"I'm your Commanding Officer.", he shot back indignantly.

"Still, General Hammond's the base's Commander. I report to him as well.", she wasn't about to make it easy for him.

"True.", he admitted. "But maybe I can convince you…"

Sam was about to ask back, what exactly he had in mind, but before she could, he had her mouth occupied otherwise, his lips pressing down onto hers. It should have made her think how fast she gave in to him, and it probably should have also made her think that they were essentially still sitting at the briefing table in the company of their team and their Commanding Officer.

Still, for the first time in her life, Samantha Carter didn't want to think. Not when Colonel Jack O'Neill made _feeling_ just that much better!

They would return, and when they did they would go back to how they'd been before this incident, but what was the harm in delaying it another day…

Sighing, Sam treaded her fingers into Jack's short hair and kissed him back eagerly. Tomorrow would come soon enough.

* * *

_A/N: Yep, Jack really needs to learn to heed warnings of what NOT to touch… Still, that outcome probably wouldn't have taught him the necessary lesson._

_Okay, so I do really not have any idea of physics. Not at all. So I'm not sure, this is really accurate what I wrote, but at least it felt logical…  
Please bear with me, if it's not making any sense._

_And now I need to reconsider my chapters order…_


	10. Misunderstanding

_**IMPORTANT NOTE:**__ Someone pointed out to me that the last chapter, 'Thought', had some similarities to an episode from season nine or ten (thank you for that). I am incredibly SORRY for that! As I said, I am quite new to Stargate SG-1 and I have to admit, I've never watched season nine and ten. Really, I tried, but SG-1 without Jack just isn't the same and the Ori are plain annoying (at least the Goa'uld had some style). But if I had known there was an episode, where Sam gets lost with Jack due to his tampering with an Ancient device, then I really have to find this episode. I always thought Jack didn't appear in those seasons anymore…  
However, __**I did not, at no time, intend to plagiarize an episode**__! I thought of taking 'Thought' down immediately, but I really don't know the episode and am unsure, how close my story really is to it. And I'm certainly not willing to endure two seasons of the Ori to find this certain episode. Also, quite a few seemed to like the chapter (again, thank you so much for the kind words!).  
So I would REALLY APPRECIATE some feedback on that, so I can determine, whether or not the chapter needs to be taken down!_

_Alright and now, on to the next chapter: my take on a reason, why Sam and Jack always seem to be at the top of the rumor mill. And, of course, it's partly Daniel's fault…_

_**Around the regs**_

_Chapter Ten: Misunderstanding_

"ACCIDENTALLY MARRIED?!", General Hammond all but shouted, half in confusion, half in furious anger.

Jack had to hold back an automatic wince at the unusual volume of his CO. Next to him, he felt Sam stiffen and Daniel even jump slightly, both surprised with the reaction. Only Teal'c seemed to stand his ground unfazed. Well, it probably wasn't appropriate for a former Prime to be intimidated by the – quite legal – wrath of a man about two heads shorter.  
Still, Jack had to admit that General Hammond was giving off quite a dangerous air right now, the normally composed man close to seething.

Okay, Jack had to admit, he had kinda bowled the man over with his… report, but then again he couldn't think of any words to break it kindlier to his CO. Honestly, Jack _had_ hoped to deal with the problem discreetly, seeing that he had asked to have this debriefing in the General's office rather than the briefing room, but well, General Hammond's shouting would have had about done the rest. Even though Jack didn't dare to turn around right now, he was all too aware of the complete silence that had followed the Texan's sudden outburst. Jack could practically imagine Walter Harriman and all Tech Sergeants down in the control room being frozen mid-movement while listening in on something that had begun as a considerably normal mission debriefing for SG-1.

Jack tried to concentrate on the General – and that particular, bulging vein that made itself visible on the Texan's neck. He could clearly see that his Commanding Officer tried to rein in the anger, if the clenched teeth and the spreading red color on his cheeks were any indication. But Jack was also acutely aware of the reactions of his 2IC next to him. Or more her non-reactions. Jack wondered briefly, if she was even breathing. She was so still, it was frightening. She sat stiffly, with her back straightened proud, but her eyes cast down onto the large desk, not able to look General Hammond, someone she considered an old friend of the family, in the eye. And she also avoided any eye contact with _him_ like the plague. Hey, as if he was responsible for this mess!

In the total silence, where nobody dared to say anything in fear of General Hammond's reaction, Daniel suddenly stood, walked over and closed the door to the adjoining briefing room. When all eyes landed on him, he waved awkwardly towards the other room, now closed off from their conversation. "Well, no need to make it official…?", the archaeologist offered an explanation.

Jack couldn't help the harsh sarcasm that broke out of him: "Oh, don't worry, I think we have already covered that!"

Next to him, Sam groaned and actually sank a bit further down in her chair. "Oh god…!", she murmured. At hearing that, Jack's fingers twitched in an automatic response. He wanted nothing more than to reach over and take her hand to squeeze it reassuringly; to tell her that he was in there with her, and that he would stand by her. But given their recent situation he deemed it wise to leave his hands, where General Hammond could see them, and far away from his 2IC. Even if his fingers started clenching together painfully to tamp down the urge to seek out Sam's hands.

Daniel sat back down and General Hammond took a deep breath. Shooting a steely gaze at Jack, the Texan drawled sharply: "Okay, let's do this civilized." His gaze bored into Jack, when he asked with a carefully controlled voice: "So, Colonel O'Neill, care to tell me, how you got _accidentally_ married to your 2IC, while on a recon mission?"

Jack wasn't as aware of the man's righteous anger, as he was of Sam's little wince, when the Texan's voice cut through the heavy silence in the room. And suddenly, Jack found his center again. No matter what they did to him, he didn't care. But he cared about Carter – and her career. He would not let anything jeopardize it; least of it some stupid mistake he had commanded! And the overwhelming urge to protect her – and everything that was important to her – paired with the little importance he held for himself, gave him one single goal he could work on towards: getting Carter out of this misery he was responsible for.

But then Jack's gaze went towards Daniel, who looked ridden with guilt. Then again, he mused, he wasn't the only one responsible for this absurd briefing Jack wouldn't even have dreamed of. "Actually, sir…!", Jack began, and briefly wondered, how many sentences the General must have heard begin with those two words. _Wasn't he sick of them yet_? Then Jack suddenly decided to change tactics and pointed swiftly at Daniel. "…it's all his fault!"

Daniel spluttered incoherently and looked incredulously at him. Jack raised an eyebrow at him, daring him silently to defy him, knowing the archaeologist couldn't.

"Sir…", Carter's voice whispered in the silence. "It's not really Daniel's fault."

At hearing her subdued voice, Jack wanted to scream. Mainly at some reckless archaeologist.

"Yes, I'm actually…", Daniel began, but immediately Jack interrupted him.

"Yes, you are!", he cut in. "Who was the one, who said – and I quote – _just go along with it? What bad can it do_?"

"Jack, I didn't know…!", Daniel defended himself, when Sam interjected simultaneously: "Sir, that's not fair! How was Daniel supposed to…?"

Both stopped abruptly, when General Hammond raised a hand, his patience with SG-1 running out. "Would _anyone_ kindly inform me, _what happened_?", he inquired icily.

Jack opened and closed his mouth, not sure what he was supposed to say that didn't get him and Carter in a court-martial. From the corner of his eyes he could see Sam mull over dozens of words in her head, searching for the right ones, and Daniel had his eyes squinted in deep thought, trying to find their way out of this. It was, surprisingly, Teal'c, who stepped in. "We made contact with the natives on P7Y-768, as was our initial objective. They are in possession of large amounts of naquadah, and they are very willing to hand it over to us, since they have no use for it. They merely asked for help in acquiring medical knowledge, which Major Carter approved of. To deepen the bonds between our races for the negotiations, they invited us for some ritual procedure, as far as Daniel Jackson could make out. During our whole stay he appeared to have some kind of lingual barrier he was not fully able to cross…"

At this Daniel looked as put out as regretful, and Jack was almost near forgiving him. Teal'c went on unimpressed, his eyes never wavering from General Hammond: "The ritual procedure consisted of females stepping in front of some device the natives claimed to have been given by a peaceful god. We could not detect any hints referring to the presence of a Goa'uld on this planet, but Major Carter assumed the device to be left behind by the Ancients."

Teal'c waited for General Hammond's nod of understanding and then continued coolly: "The device seemed to scan the female and then single out a male to partner the female up with. Each pair found was tremendously celebrated. From what Daniel Jackson made out of the native's explanations, the device was to find _significant ones_…"

"Um, at this time I thought it meant something like _ones of a kind_…", Daniel explained, shooting apologetic glances at Sam.

"Yeah, and then they insisted, Carter try it!", Jack threw in.

General Hammond sighed deep, and Jack had the nagging suspicion that his friend already knew, where this was headed. Still, Jack couldn't help the snarky remark that followed his words. Turning towards Daniel, he said: "And your _exact_ words to that were '_Just go along with it. What bad can it do?'_"

"How should I have known what was about to happen?", Daniel huffed.

"It's your job to know such things!", Jack barked, knowing full well that he was unfair. Still, it was Carter's future here that was at stake! "It's why you're on this team!"

Daniel gnawed on his cheek, probably gulping down one or two not-so-friendly comments for his best friend.

"Sir, I couldn't possibly refuse them in sight of our oncoming negotiations!", Sam defended herself, her eyes locked unwavering on General Hammond.

"Of course, you _couldn't_.", General Hammond stated emphasized, but without giving anything away. "What happened then?"

"Somehow, and I'm no way sure why, the device singled me out for her…", Jack squished out through gritted teeth, looking anywhere but Sam, who went rigid.

"We thought the device picked up on their similarities coming from their military way.", Daniel explained hastily. "You know, that they're _one of a kind_…"

"Yeah, and then there was that large party…!", Jack continued.

"With lots of explanations and stories…", Daniel chimed in.

"And suddenly, Daniel exclaims we're married!", Jack accused.

"_Bonded!_", the archaeologist corrected, sounding as if he'd told Jack that on more than one occasion. "From what I could make out of the stories, the device is to connect soul mates, _binding_ them together in the process…"

"_Oh, for cryin' out loud, what's the damn difference?_", Jack lost it. "I remember you sayin' that by their customs Carter and I are married!" And this time Jack was sure, Sam next to him had stopped breathing.

"Look, Jack…", Daniel began. "I told you so, because I wanted to get my point across. The people on P7–"

Jack drummed his fingers loudly on the table, showing Danny-boy exactly how annoyed he felt right now. Daniel continued indifferent. "…they don't marry, like we do. They don't hold a ceremony – and that's why I suspected this late it was actually a marriage you've undergone – they simply stay together for life. Their being chosen by the device is their way of marrying. But since there are no vows, no specific celebrations, no giving a sign of mutual commitment, like rings, it's more like an obligatory binding…"

Jack felt one of his eyes twitch with the heavy urge to strangle the man he considered one of his best friends. He was _so_ not in the mood for that technobabble – even if, technically speaking, it was more of a psycho-history-moral-babbling. General Hammond came to his rescue, before he could _really_ consider doing something to the oblivious archaeologist he would later on surely regret. "So, Doctor Jackson, _are_ Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter married or not?"

Eerie silence filled the room, all eyes going to Daniel. The archaeologist bit his lip, his sad gaze holding Sam's pleading one. "By the law and customs of P7Y-768 they are considered married.", he said, his voice breaking with sympathy for his friends. He knew full well what his proclamation would mean for his friends, and his aversion to part doom on them was moderating Jack somehow. And Jack also knew that Daniel had no other choice than to state the truth.

Looking back at General Hammond, Jack's fingers gripped the table, until the knuckles turned white. He could practically see his career, and more importantly, Carter's, fly out of the window. But what he feared above all that nonsense was that it would cost him Carter herself. That she would not forgive him for ruining her career, and that it would drive them apart. Because after all he had been the Commanding Officer on this mission, so he was responsible for every mistake his team made. With a sudden surge of emotion, he realized that this was his biggest concern. Not how it looked, not what it meant, not what it could bring upon them. Over all he just didn't want for Carter to hate him or to leave him. He didn't want to lose whatever they had.

"Sir!", he said urgently, looking General Hammond directly in the eyes. "I'll take full responsibility for the–"

To his complete surprise Sam bowled him over: "No, sir, it was me, who decided to try out this device, without knowing what this certain alien technology was capable of doing!"

"Carter, I'm the Officer in Charge! I'm the one, who–"

Again she didn't let him finish. "I was reckless. I should have known better than to temper with an unknown device!"

Jack sent her a withering glare, full of rage and frustration. Could she not just _shut the hell up_, while he tried to save her gorgeous, little neck? How was he supposed to pull her head out of the sling, if she insisted to put it back in every frickin' time he was trying to bail her out of it?! Sam looked right back at him, for the first time, since Daniel had taken the word 'married' in his mouth. Jack expected to find anger, frustration, sadness, desperation, disappointment or distance in them, but astonishingly, he could detect none of that in her open gaze. He wasn't met with the regret he had anticipated. It confused the hell out of him.

Sighing tiredly, Jack turned back to a suspiciously silent General Hammond. "Not to sound presumptuous, sir, but maybe there's some loophole here? You see, Carter and I really didn't plan… to marry out there. Wouldn't even be my choice of location!"

"Colonel?", General Hammond inquired, still suspiciously void of any reaction whatsoever to the fact that his two best officers, who were in a direct chain of command, had gotten married to each other.

Jack rubbed his hands exhausted over his face, feeling Sam's eyes on him. "I mean, it's an alien marriage, isn't it? Can't we just… ignore it here on Earth?"

Daniel winced, and this little sound nearly made Jack snap. It _couldn't_ mean something positive for them, he just knew it!

"Unfortunately, Colonel…", General Hammond launched into explanation. "I have to inform you that off-world marriages are handled like marriages in other countries here on Earth. They are legally acknowledged by the United States, with all duties and privileges which would come from being married in the US."

Jack's furious gaze shot towards Daniel. He just _knew_ the Space-monkey was responsible for this! Daniel ducked his head and held his hands up in an offering of peace. "I just… I applied for them to recognize off-world marriages, so my wedding to Sha're would get binding, and I could officially go search my _wife_…", Daniel tried to explain himself. _Shit_, Jack thought furious. He couldn't even be mad at the archaeologist for that!

Jack fell back in his chair and scrubbed his hands roughly through his hair. Next to him, Sam was in dire risk to bite open her lower lip she was worrying.

"So, what're we gonna do?", Daniel asked concerned. Nobody had an answer to that.

"Can we nullify the marriage?", Jack asked, grasping for straws. But strangely, he didn't like this thought. At all.

Carter's face went suspiciously blank.

General Hammond seemed to consider this intently, when Teal'c said: "I am unsure, if this would be a wise decision, O'Neill."

"Oh, and why not?", Jack asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm. He about had it that his best friends shot down any way he could think of to get Carter off the hook!

"I was under the strong assumption that the natives of P7Y-768 were supportive of our plans of negotiation, because you and Major Carter were bonded within their ritual, thus integrating both of you in their society and culture."

"Teal'c could be right!", Daniel jumped in. "If you are to reverse the wedding, they could be offended. They may think we wouldn't take their customs serious, and they may even cancel negotiations!"

"Sir, this could cost us decades of mining tons of naquadah…", Sam said torn; torn between wanting to find a way out for her and Jack, but also refusing to shatter their accomplishments. By now Jack had the strongest urge to rub his temples, where he felt a massive headache approach. Again thoughtful silence fell onto the room.

Finally, General Hammond was the first one to speak: "I will have to inform the President and the Joint Chiefs…", he began and Jack internally tried to guess how long it would take for them to fire his ass. "I will try to explain about the alien influences.", the General continued, and then an understanding smile dawned on his face. "Meanwhile I will give SG-1 the order to work through that ritual and analyze that alien device. See, if you can find any loophole, so we can get you out of that."

Jack, Sam and Daniel exhaled simultaneously in relief. General Hammond may have been furious with their carelessness, but he was on their side, and he tried everything to help them!

General Hammond stood and instantly Jack and Sam copied the movement. Then the General turned, intend to leave, so he could undoubtedly spend some quality time with that red phone of his. SG-1 was about to ready to bolt so they could start figuring a way out of this mess, when General Hammond turned around. A wide, amused grin spread on his face, when he began way-too-innocent: "Oh, and Jack…?"

Jack stopped, half-turned towards Sam, with a sinking feeling in his stomach. "General…?", he asked carefully.

General Hammond's smile grew even wider, and Jack had the sick feeling that the General was using this situation to get back at him. "Just so we're clear on this.", he said. "Until you've figured out how to undo that, you and Major Carter are considered to be married. Am I making myself clear?"

Jack froze in his tracks. From the corner of his eyes he saw Sam's mouth fall open in shock. "Sir…?", they both croaked hoarsely.

"Congratulations on getting married.", General Hammond smiled, and behind the two shocked officers, Daniel burst out laughing.

"Sir, I don't think, I understand…", Jack tried, looking for _any_ sign that this was a sick joke. But then again the General had just explained how off-world marriages were handled…

General Hammond sent him another amused smile. "Well, Colonel. As far as I know, you've been married once. I'm sure you haven't forgotten how to treat a wife."

Sam choked on the General's words, but Jack suddenly felt as if Santa Claus had let all his wishes come true. "No, sir, I haven't.", he stated confidently. Oh, suddenly this opened up for so _much_ possibilities, he mused inwardly. He could feel a feral grin spread over his face. Try as he might, he couldn't suppress it. And at seeing this, Carter went positively, endearingly red.

The General merely shot them both a look, telling them nonverbally, that he was letting them run on a long leash, but he expected them to come up with something to get the former status quo back. Then the General dismissed them leisurely.

SG-1 turned to begin their task immediately, Daniel still snickering not-so-discreetly. The moment they turned for the door, Jack saw the tension ebb out of Sam's edgy shoulders. They had made it. For now even relatively unscathed. The stressed look on her face relaxed and she inhaled deeply, trying to regain her composure. Her relief was tangible, and he was glad they had come out of this with a blue eye. Very glad for her. She seemed to notice him glancing at her, and looked at him. Their eyes met and locked. And Jack could still feel the usual deep, intuitive understanding he always had with her; the normal trust, and the typical feeling of _something_ between them. Nothing had changed. And he was more than glad about that!

"So…", Daniel said, while opening the door and letting Sam step through first. "… what're we going to do now?"

Sam stepped aside and Jack followed her into the hallway, automatically standing next to her. Even rather close. He figured he had every right to, now. _Sweeeet_.

"Well, I'm going to run some tests on the probes I got from the device…", Sam mused out loud.

"Alright, then I think, I'm going to try and translate some writings we got from the natives…", Daniel stated.

Jack turned towards the silent Jaffa. "T?"

Teal'c bowed his head. "I am sorry, but I believe I require some kel'no'reem. If you are in no dire need of me…?"

Sam shook her head gently. "No, Teal'c. Go, get some sleep! And thank you for your help!"

Teal'c acknowledged this with a short bow of his head and then turned to walk towards his quarters.

"Well, Jack, what're you going to do?", Daniel asked.

Jack actually didn't know. From what he could see, there wasn't much to do for him but write his mission report. Yuck…

But then a thought dawned on him that sounded much more appealable. "Hm, I guess, I could accompany my wife to her lab…", he drawled languidly and smiled a lazy grin at Sam. And to top it off, he reached over and draped an arm companionably over her shoulders, effectively pulling her into his side. Gotta milk this situation for what it was worth, he figured. Immediately her face lit up like a traffic light, and Daniel coughed surprised.

And with a resounding crash a bypassing Airman missed the door and hit the frame, his mouth agape, while staring at Jack and Sam. Sam groaned, while Jack and Daniel started laughing. "God, sir…!", she groaned. "Now, we'll be on the top of the rumor mill for _years_!"

Jack all but shrugged. There were way worse things than getting attributed to the hot Major Doctor Samantha Carter, in his opinion…


	11. Memory

_**Author's note**__: Special thanks to those, who commented on my worries last time! Your wise words really helped me a lot! I've thought it through thoroughly and decided that you were right! So 'Thought' will remain online and everyone can judge for themselves, if it's original enough. I, for myself, still think it's one of my best chapters._

_So, this time, I'm trying something different: a third person view on SG-1…_

_**Around the regs**_

_Chapter Eleven: Memory_

"Sir!"

Colonel Reynolds swiveled around at the alarmed outcry. With trained speed his eyes went over his spread out men, trying to judge who had called out for him. His eyes wandered over his own men, and then SG-2, but it seemed to be one of SG-9's men, who had shouted over to him. Now, one of the men waved towards him and Reynolds jogged over to him. Next to Sergeant Grogan – who had called out to him – and Captain Clark – who had waved – from SG-9 kneeled Sergeant Satterfield, examining something on the ground.

"_Something the matter?_", Reynolds' radio crackled to life, ricocheting Major Lorne's voice. Major Lorne was SG-9's current leader and he was probably only worried for his team. Still Reynolds couldn't suppress the unnerved tinge to his voice, when he answered: "Not that I can see. Hold your position, Major, I will handle it!"

Then, turning his attention to the rookies, Reynolds asked: "What did you find?"

Sergeant Satterfield, a woman that looked a lot younger than she probably was, hauled herself off the ground. Reynolds could see the worry in the woman's face, when she held something out on the palm of her hand for him and the rest of her team to see. Reynolds bend forward, his eyes examining the dirtied something. For a moment he failed to see, what it was, even when Clark and Grogan sucked in their breaths sharply. Then, suddenly, his brain provided him with the adequate explanation. Swiftly, Reynolds snagged the item from Satterfield and held it against the light of the sun. It was a broken dog tag chain. The dog tags still dangled on it, although dirtied and covered in dried mud.

"Whose…?", Sergeant Grogan inquired choked.

Reynolds' eyes skimmed over the dog tags briefly and then, resignedly, he let his eyes fall close for a moment. "Major Carters.", he reported, when he opened his eyes again.

Grogan and Satterfield exchanged sad glances and for a moment Reynolds had to remind himself that they had already interacted with SG-1 and knew them. Of course, they'd feel concerned. And with this discovery, Reynolds had to say he himself was beginning to worry as well. Stashing the dog tags in the pockets of his flak vest, Reynolds thought things through quickly. SG-1 had gone missing on this deserted planet over a week ago. By now Reynolds was leading the third search party with the intention to find any sign on their whereabouts or their destinies, because, so far, none of the previous search parties had had the luck to even stumble upon a footprint of SG-1. It was as if they had just disappeared. No matter, how many SGC soldiers went to this planet or how many UAV's they sent, none discovered anything: nothing of SG-1, but also no enemy, no hostile inhabitants, no dangerous animals, not even an antagonistic plant! Which didn't mean that there couldn't be dozens of mishaps that could have happened to SG-1, but so far, this planet seemed to be one of the most peaceful they had ever set foot on! It just made SG-1's disappearance even more mysterious.

Until now Reynolds had hold onto the thought that Jack was an experienced, capable soldier, who knew how to keep his people safe, but maybe there was more to it than he had allowed himself to think about. Because Major Carter was a very scrupulous person and she certainly would not just 'lose' her dog tags. There had to have happened something, at least to her.

Reynolds sighed with the urge to rub his temples tiredly. SG-1 was a good team and one he was close friends with. He liked all of them, and he would seriously regret, if something happened to either of them! Still, Reynolds was determined to find out, what had happened. He would not leave until he had solved this mystery. Even more so, since General Hammond had ordered this to be the last search party. Although Reynolds had not had the slightest difficulties in finding volunteers for this mission, the General had made it clear that at some point they didn't have the opportunities and sources anymore to discard on a team gone MIA…

"Sir?", Grogan's voice ripped him from his thoughts.

Sighing, Reynolds reached for his radio. "Okay, everyone, listen!", he called out and could see several of his men grab for their radios. "We've finally found some evidence of SG-1! I want the search to continue just as before! And keep your eyes open! Maybe we've stumbled upon something here…"

Nods were seen all over the large terrain the SG teams covered. Routinely, the heads of each SG team, Major Lorne of SG-9 and Major Ferretti of SG-2, called in to confirm his order. Briefly, Colonel Dixon of SG-13, who had stayed back with his team to guard the Stargate, spoke with him to discern their further measures.

While talking to his friend, Reynolds followed Grogan's figure trailing over the meadow in front of him, the rookie's face lowered so his eyes could roam over the ground, while Satterfield next to him looked around with her field glasses, keeping watch over the trees and bushes further away. The planet had a lush vegetation, so in their half-a-day-hike they'd come across everything from thick underbrush to forest-like-trees to grassy meadows.  
Reynolds' men spread out widely to cover a large area whenever they could, but there had been times the way had been so overgrown, they had to trudge one after the other down some dirt roads. Luckily the meadow they crossed right now not only allowed them to distribute, it also provided them with a clear sight. And, Reynolds contemplated, when they would have finally climbed that hill they currently mounted, they'd be able to gaze even further. Maybe then they'd finally be able to shed some light onto the–

Reynolds stopped himself suddenly, when he almost ran into Grogan's back. Satterfield had her arm outstretched, her hand fisting into the man's upper arm, so Grogan had to stop.

"Satterfield?", Reynolds asked with a raised brow, looking pointedly down at her arm, which effectively cut off his way. The woman pushed her field glasses at the superior officer and wordlessly pointed towards something in the distance. Irritated Reynolds grabbed onto the item and put it to his eyes. He followed her pointing arm and made out a small river at the bottom of the hill. Right behind the small stream dense, bushy and impenetrable trees grew into a huge forest that covered the whole distance Reynolds could look at from the hill. But what caught his eye – and had obviously caught Satterfield's attention – was a little, bright patch of color skipping between the rocks at the streams edge.

Immediately, Reynolds signaled for his men to take cover and they distributed the silent gesture through the rows, until he could see the last officer drop to the ground mutely.

Reaching for his radio, Reynolds ordered: "SG's 2 and 3, with me! Take care to go unseen! We'll check out that stream below! SG 9, hold position, in case we need to retreat, you'll be our back-up."

Skidding around Grogan and Satterfield, Reynolds carefully began his descent. The hill was steep, but thankfully evened out quickly into a grassy area that was strewn with boulders. It provided good cover for Reynolds and his men, but it effectively cut off their sight, too.

In a line, Reynolds, Lieutenants Johnson and Judson and Major Warren from SG-3, and Major Ferretti, Captains Penhall and Casey and Lieutenant Sands from SG-2 efficiently made their way through the large blocks of rock, their P90's pointed forward solidly. When he could hear the quiet gurgle of the stream's water, Reynolds gave the sign to halt. His men ducked behind the boulders they were currently hiding behind. As quietly as possible, Reynolds inched his head around the rock he was crouching behind.

The sight he was presented with was so absurd and unexpected, he actually closed his eyes for a second. Still the picture didn't change, when he opened them once more. In front of him, only separated through the small stream sat Sam, Major Samantha Carter, in her dirtied BDU pants, combat boots and a black tank top, obviously trying to wash stains from her BDU jacket. She was so concentrated on the task that she hadn't noticed the men sneaking up on her, muttering heatedly under her breath, while attacking her jacket determinedly. Reynolds could not see anyone of her team anywhere, but surely, they had to be close?

The Colonel was glad to see the blonde woman! He wanted to run up to her and hug her, so relieved was he that she was well and alive! But his instinct and military training ensured that he kept the circumstances in mind. Even if she was here, unharmed, something had to have happened to her and SG-1. Because why else would they have disappeared?

Reynolds lowered his P90 and quickly left his hide-out. He knew his men would cover his six, if this was a trap. But he had to take this chance!

"Major Carter!", he called out.

The blonde Major's head snapped up, her impossibly blue eyes narrowing in on him instantly. Reynolds smiled at her reassuringly, but his grin slipped, when he saw her expression fall at his sight. Her relaxed face tensed, her expression turning into alarm. He opened his mouth to ask her for her well-being, but she didn't let him. Letting her jacket drop unceremoniously, Sam bolted for the trees behind her, as if she'd been presented with the devil himself!

Baffled, Reynolds watched her slim figure disappear hastily between the tree trunks. "Damn it all! Sam!", Reynold called after her, completely taken by surprise.

Cursing, the Colonel dashed through the small river, calling for his men. "Warren and Penhall, stay back! The rest, come with me!"

Splashing was heard, when the men trampled through the water and then the heavy thumping of military boots stomping over the earthy ground filled the silence in the forest. Reynolds kept his eyes on Sam's head, her blonde hair a dead give-away in the half-dark forest, where her combat uniform let her merge with the surroundings. From time to time she glanced back over her shoulder at the men chasing her, obviously trying to get rid of them. Oh for the love of…! _Why_ was she running away from them?!

"Major! Wait!", he called out to her, whenever he had enough breath left over, but she ignored him. He even ordered her to stop, but in vain. Reynolds could see that she wasn't even trying to be stealthy, she was purely going for speed, trying to escape them with all her legs would allow her.

"_Damn, damn, damn!_", Reynolds cursed inwardly. Sam may be their only link to SG-1 right now! Why wasn't she cooperating?! "Don't lose her!", he ordered his men.

Suddenly, the trees receded and gave away to a clearing. An improvised camp was set up on the clearing with a small campfire lighting up the half-darkness surrounding them. Sam dashed onto the clearing shouting something in what Reynolds could only describe as a frightened voice. Two figures at the campfire jumped up, rushing for her immediately. Reynold signaled his men hastily and with raised weapons the six Air Force officers stormed onto the clearing, immediately forming a half circle around the figures.

"Hands up, where I can see them!", Reynolds shouted routinely. "Don't move!"

To his utter astonishment, however, Reynolds was faced with a rather familiar sight. Of course, there was Sam, but standing right next to her were Daniel Jackson and Teal'c. Daniel had an arm around Sam, pushing her behind his body to shield her in between himself and Teal'c. Teal'c had tried to bend for what Reynolds deemed to be Sam's P90, although his staff weapon was also lying close, but when the Colonel had called out his warning, the large Jaffa had stopped in his tracks, now standing tensely next to his team mates.

"Dr. Jackson? Teal'c?", Reynolds inquired confused but neither of the men flinched at Reynolds' words or seemed to find themselves addressed somehow.

"What the hell is wrong here…?", Reynolds wanted to know. Nothing here seemed to make any sense!

"Who are you?", Daniel asked instead of answering his question.

"Who am…!", Reynolds trailed off stunned. "Doctor Jackson, you know me! I'm Colonel Reynolds!"

There wasn't even a single spark of recognition in the archaeologist's eyes, Reynolds had to admit. Neither was there in Sam's or Teal'c's. It was as if they were seeing him for the first time…!

"Sir, I don't think they know, who we are.", Johnson murmured next to him. Yeah, thanks, the thought had crossed his mind as well…

"Why were you chasing Samantha?", Teal'c's voice droned monotonically. Samantha?! Reynolds was aware, he was probably gaping, but he had never heard the Jaffa address Sam by her first name, even less with 'Samantha'. And, furthermore, Reynolds knew that the blonde woman didn't like to be called 'Samantha', even though she did not object or flinch at all at Teal'c calling her that.

In the stunned silence that followed, Reynolds' radio suddenly cracked to life, Colonel Dixon's voice cutting through the quietness: "_Reynolds, can you hear me?_"

Reynolds saw the three members of SG-1 recoil in surprise, as if they'd never seen or heard a radio. "Loud and clear, Dave.", he answered. "What's the problem?"

An exhausted sigh came from the line. "_Listen, we have a situation here. Bosworth somehow managed to trigger some weapon Balinsky thinks to be a defense mechanism at the DHD when we dialed back to the SGC to report… Long story short, Bosworth was caught in some light flash and seems to have lost part of his memory. I'll send him back to the SGC, and Balinsky is working on shutting the weapon off. So be careful on your way! Maybe there'll be even more traps._"

Without noticing, Reynolds copied the tired sigh. "Actually, that explains a lot about our situation here…", he muttered into his radio.

When there was confused silence on the other end, Reynolds added: "I'll explain later. Thanks for warning us! Reynolds out!"

A defense mechanism that erased memories. Yeah, no wonder SG-1 hadn't reported back to the SGC or didn't seem to recognize him…! If SG-1 had accidentally stumbled into this trap on their way back home and lost their memory, then it all made sense!

Reynolds looked back to the two scientists and the Jaffa, who were regarding him with cautious gazes, as if he were the enemy. For a moment he thought about what they must see: not their friends and comrades, but six heavily armed men pointing their weapons at them. Reynolds lowered his P90, and instantly his men followed his example. They still had their fingers on the triggers, safeties off, but the barrels pointed towards the ground.

Reynolds opened his mouth, trying to explain it all to the people in front of him that eyed him warily, when a tiny, important detail reached his brain. Oh, he should have noticed before! Gripping his weapon tighter in a habitual movement, his eyes zeroed in on Sam and he asked her: "Where's the Colonel?"

He was met with a blank stare. Reynolds was puzzled what this had to mean. But then it dawned on him. Maybe she didn't understand what he'd been talking about. From the way she was totally ignoring her own weapon, he assumed she had forgotten about her military training as well. So of course ranks would tell her nothing.

"Where's–?", Reynolds was cut off, before he could end his sentence.

"Weapons down!", a quiet, strong voice commanded the moment Reynolds felt something being pushed into his back. And well, he'd been in the military long enough to know exactly what a barrel pointed at him felt like.

"Jack?", he asked, while slowly letting his P90 fall back against his vest, secured. Reynolds didn't need to look or recognize the voice to be sure that it was his friend, because, honestly, only the Special Forces soldier would be able to sneak up on him and his men unnoticed! A few of his men swirled around, taking aim at Colonel O'Neill, while the other's attention stayed with the rest of SG-1.

"Who are you and why are you pointing weapons at my family?", Jack now hissed at him with an icy voice.

"_Family?_", Reynolds thought confused. But then it dawned on him that this was probably how SG-1 saw each other, now that they had all forgotten about their background together. Even though their memory was lost, feelings and a certain awareness of each other had seemed to linger. This also had to be the reason, why they had stayed together after losing their memories; why they didn't see each other as enemies. They didn't know anymore that they were a team, but they were aware on some subconscious level that they belonged together. And because they couldn't explain the feelings they had towards each other any better, they chose the context of a family, because it was closest. Reynolds was well aware of how close SG-1 actually was. So this here matched, actually.

"I'm Colonel Albert Reynolds.", Reynolds said calmly. "I'm a friend of yours and your… family. We're here to bring you back!"

"Don't believe them, Jack!", Daniel Jackson hollered into his statement. "They ambushed Samantha at the river and chased her through the forest!"

Reynolds tried to explain that, but immediately after hearing that declaration, Jack growled lowly and dangerously behind him, making Reynolds' hairs stand on end. Normally, Jack's laid-back attitude and his habit to play dumb made one forget how dangerous the man actually was, even with all the stories flying around about him, but now Reynolds was acutely aware, that the other man could as well end his life within a second. And, apparently, he wasn't the only one to notice. Major Ferretti, the one who probably knew Jack the best within their group, moved forwards quickly, trying to come to Reynolds' help. With a swift movement, the Major rushed towards Jack, forcing the Colonel to divert his attention from Reynolds.

"Jack!", Sam's voice called out in warning and if the situation wouldn't have been so serious, Reynolds would have taken a second to be stunned at the Major calling her CO by his given name. But he had other problems right now. The concentrated silence behind him told Reynolds that, despite her warning, Jack was already well aware of the situation. The seconds seemed to stretch and Reynolds actually held his breath, while he watched Ferretti storming for them from the corner of his eyes.

Then, thankfully, Reynolds felt the barrel of Jack's gun move away from him to intercept the Major coming at him. Reynolds, having anticipated this move, shot around immediately and used the bottom of his P90 to stop the Colonel, slamming it in the other man's side. Then, to get Major Ferretti out of the very concrete danger he was in, Reynolds grabbed the barrel of Jack's P90 and pushed against it, getting it out of Ferretti's way. Jack resisted him with everything he had, and while Reynolds was younger, he felt himself struggle heavily. Luckily, Ferretti came to his help and together they managed to disarm the Colonel.

"Jack!", Reynolds could hear Sam and Daniel call out worriedly in the background, when Ferretti pulled back and pointed his own P90 at Jack, while Reynolds quickly secured the weapon he had taken from him. Jack glared at them heatedly, but with the weapon pointed directly at his broad chest, he didn't seem willing to take any chances.

"I take it, you're not coming with us voluntarily?", Reynolds asked, slightly out of breath.

"The hell I will.", Jack confirmed.

Reynolds sighed. So what was he supposed to do now? Jack's Special Forces past ensured that he was more than suspicious of them; his caution and mistrust towards them would make sure that he wouldn't trust them, whatever Reynolds may tell him now. And apparently, whatever Jack seemed to decide, the rest of SG-1 would follow habitually, even if they wouldn't know, why, right now. So, with Jack being his stubborn self, Reynolds assumed that nobody of SG-1 would be willing to cooperate at the moment. However, to get them to trust him once more, he'd have to bring their memories back. Unfortunately, for this to happen, he'd have to bring them to the SGC, so Doctor Fraiser and the scientists could work on that. Which brought him back to the problem at hand: how to get the obstinate SG-1 to go back with them…?

Reynolds glanced at Jack's hostile expression and sighed. Yeah, no way this would go without some resistance, would it? Inhaling deeply, Reynolds hated himself for what he was about to do, but really, which option did he have?

"Tie them up!", he ordered his men, motioning for Sam, Daniel and Teal'c. Ferretti was already reaching for his cable ties to do the honors on Jack.

"Jack?", Daniel called out insecure, when Reynolds' men descended on him and Sam. From the corner of his eyes, Reynolds saw the blonde woman shooting uncertain gazes at Jack, while Daniel cautiously pushed her back when he retreated step-by-step. When he saw that the Colonel was momentarily distracted, his intimidating gaze settling onto the blonde woman not far away, Major Ferretti took his chance, stepped up to Jack quickly and bent his arms on his back. When Jack looked ready to struggle against his friend, Reynolds strode up to Ferretti and snapped the cable ties to Jack's wrists, fastening them carefully. He wanted his friend bound, not injured by accident.

Again, Reynolds heard Sam call out and risked a quick glance. Captain Casey had her secured, her arms pushed against her back, while the Captain tried to clasp the cable ties closed. Reynolds could see that the Captain tried his best to be gentle with her, his face contorted with guilt, but Sam struggled against him. Not to get free, from what Reynolds could see, she barely acknowledged the Captain holding her, but rather to get to Jack, Reynolds noticed. Her eyes were glued to him, taking in the picture of Reynolds and Ferretti restricting him.

Jack grunted, more displeased with the situation than in pain from the cable ties. He gazed back at Sam, his eyes squinting at the Captain confining her. "Don't resist!", Jack suddenly ordered.

Reynolds was mildly astonished by that, but then again, Jack couldn't know that they weren't going to do anything to them. To him they were enemies and capable of unthinkable cruelties. And they had the upper hand: they outnumbered SG-1 and had cut them off from their own weapons and any possibility to defend themselves. So Jack did, what military training ensured him to do: he tried his best to keep his team safe. Which, for now, meant to surrender.

Sam slumped against Captain Casey at Jack's order. She looked utterly unhappy with the situation, but stayed calm. In the meantime Johnson had bound Daniel and Judson and Sands worked on Teal'c, but only now that he had gotten the order from Jack to capitulate they dared to restrict the Jaffa.

Reynolds sighed at the sight he was presented with. SG-1 captured and bound tightly. This was so not how he had imagined bringing them back. "Let's go.", he said tiredly, signaling for his men.

Casey stayed with Sam, guiding her gently with a hand to her arm. Johnson kept his P90 pointed loosely at Teal'c, because seeing that Reynolds and Ferretti still stayed with Jack, Teal'c proved to be the greatest danger at the moment. Sands and Judson hurried to pack everything together from the camp that could lead to the SGC or could still prove necessary to them. Then Judson joined Johnson in guarding Teal'c and Sands copied Casey in putting a hand on Daniel's upper arm to lead him away. At Reynolds' sign Sands and Daniel took lead with Casey and Sam following. Judson, Johnson and Teal'c as well as Reynolds, Ferretti and Jack came after them.

Reynolds couldn't help another sigh at the sight of Jack's hostile expression he was presented with, when they started on their way. Yeah, so not how he'd wanted this to end. At least he'd managed to bring back SG-1, alive…

SJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJ

Reynolds trudged around the camp they had hastily set up half way back to the Stargate. He had checked in with Colonel Dixon and confirmed that tomorrow, when they would arrive at the Stargate, Doctor Balinsky could ensure they were able to walk through without such a disaster that had happened to Bosworth on the routinely check-in with the base.

Reynolds passed the campfire, where the majority of SG's 2 and 3 were sitting, eating their MREs. SG-9 was scouting the perimeters, ensuring their safety. Reynolds nodded quickly to his men in passing and then wandered over to SG-1. Jack, Sam, Daniel and Teal'c sat with their backs against smaller trees, one of their hands still bound to their backs and their bodies secured to the trees, because the moment darkness had begun to settle over them, Reynolds had practically heard the wheels turn in Jack's head, mulling over, how he could escape. So Reynolds was not settling for any risk. Actually, the Colonel was astonished Jack even put up so much of a fight. From his encounter with the memory erasing device he shouldn't be able to remember anything anymore, or not? Dixon had said Bosworth had only lost part of his memory, so perhaps there were still things left SG-1 remembered? For example, Jack and Teal'c had seemed able to wield a P90, whereas Sam had made no attempt to take her weapon. So was it different for anyone, what exactly they were remembering? Or were they only acting out of feelings…? Reynolds was no Doctor, so seeing that he was about to give himself a headache with those thoughts, he would gladly leave the analyzes to the scientists and concentrate on getting SG-1 back to the SGC unharmed.

Reynolds strolled over to SG-1, watching their doings. Although they were bound to the trees, one of their hands was freed, so they could eat their meals, a few of the MREs Reynolds team had packed. Reynolds stepped up to Ferretti and Warren, who were keeping a careful eye on their 'prisoners'.

"Warren, take a break.", Reynolds ordered. The Major nodded gratefully and disappeared in search of some food. Reynolds stepped up to Ferretti.

"I'd ask you to take five as well, but I assume you–?"

Ferretti interrupted Reynolds immediately. "I'm not leaving them.", he said confidently. Reynolds was not surprised, but still Ferretti explained: "Jack's my friend."

Reynolds nodded and his eyes wandered over to the silent man Ferretti had spoken of. Jack's eyes were closely observing them, the MRE in his lap almost untouched. Reynolds almost smiled at the so-typically-Jack antics. He walked over to the older man and crouched down in front of him.

"You know? It's not poisoned.", he smiled at the man.

Jack raised an eyebrow, before rolling his eyes. "Obviously.", he said, while nodding with his head towards Daniel, who was cheerfully digging in. Reynolds wanted to laugh, but held it in. Daniel Jackson was almost devouring the MRE, which left the man wondering, how SG-1 had coped the past week. What had they been eating? He'd have to ask Jack, when the man was back to his usual self. Next to Daniel Teal'c seemed immersed in his kel'no'reem, although Reynolds suspected that the Jaffa had an ear on their conversation. His MRE box was also emptied. Next to Teal'c and farthest away from Jack – Reynolds wondered how that had happened – sat Sam, her attention now closely on him and Jack, her MRE already consumed.

"So…", Reynolds continued, turning his attention back to Jack. "Why don't we talk a little? You wanna tell me, what happened?"

Again Jack raised an eyebrow, but this time it clearly conveyed something along the lines of 'are you fucking serious?'.

"What's the first thing you remember?", Reynolds asked nevertheless.

"Hey, why don't you loosen my ties and I'll show you _exactly_, what I remember?", Jack suggested sarcastically.

Reynolds actually snorted at that. "Nice try, old friend, but not until you're back to normal."

"I'm not your friend.", Jack declared haughtily.

Reynolds smiled sadly and tried to not take it personally. Of course Jack hadn't meant for it to become the offense as which Reynolds saw it, because he essentially couldn't remember him. Or anyone else for that matter. Which made Reynolds wonder…

"So, why did you proclaim them to be your family?", Reynolds asked curiously, pointing towards SG-1. Behind him, Reynolds heard Ferretti shuffle, obviously listening in closely. But again, Jack didn't seem willing to cooperate, because he just looked on disinterested over Reynolds shoulder. Reynolds sighed. But then a thought took hold in his brain. Well, well, let's see if he couldn't get the Colonel _motivated_ to collaborate.

"Major!", he addressed Ferretti. "Go and bring Sam over."

Reynolds didn't see Ferretti's reaction, because he kept his eyes on Jack, but whatever the Major may think, he complied wordlessly and immediately. Still, Reynolds action had the inquired effect, as Jack's eyes instantly snapped up, first to Ferretti and then to him, his gaze blazing into Reynolds'. Almost instantly, Jack's expression cooled, shifting back to his unreadable poker face, but for a moment Reynolds had seen more rage in the man's eyes than ever before. Given, he'd not often seen Jack in action, but the quick gaze he'd been presented with reminded him once more, why most of Jack's file was blackened. The man was dangerous.

"Sir.", Ferretti announced himself and shooting a quick glance over his shoulder, Reynolds saw Sam stand in between him and the Major, her hands getting pushed against her back.

"If you so much as touch her…!", Jack growled threateningly under his breath, only loud enough for Reynolds to hear. Reynolds thought of feeling repulsed by the mere suggestion, but again Jack didn't know right now, who he was. So he was treating Reynolds as the enemy.

"How about this?", Reynolds suggested calmly. "You answer my questions and I'll leave her here. With you."

Jack was surprised, more than surprised at Reynolds' offer. Clearly, he'd expected something else. Behind them, Sam whimpered, almost inaudibly, but the tiny sound was enough for Reynolds to hear how much she wished to stay here. The Colonel's eyes flickered over to her and for a tiny second he couldn't suppress the longing in his eyes. Gotcha, Reynolds thought. And actually, it was a lecture he'd been given by Jack: just make the bait tempting enough and the fish will gladly jump onto your hook. Yeah, and Reynolds had been long enough with the SGC to know that Jack would do almost everything for his team, and probably a tad bit more for a certain Major. The bit, everyone at the SGC always overlooked when being in the presence of the Colonel and his 2IC, pretending to not have noticed anything. Thus Reynolds wasn't overly surprised, when he saw the Colonel give in.

"So. Question.", Jack ordered gruffly.

"Why do you state them to be your family?", Reynolds repeated.

Jack looked at him calculatingly, as if he couldn't understand, why this was so important to Reynolds. "Because they are."

Reynolds shook his head. "Am I right to assume you've all lost your memory?", he inquired.

Jack nodded. "We don't know, what exactly happened, but we came to at this huge metal ring. None of us remembered much."

"How did you know that none of you was an enemy?", Reynolds asked.

"Well, we all wore the same clothes…", Jack began, but Reynolds quickly busted this excuse. "Well, so do we.", he said, motioning towards his men.

"None of _them_ attacked me.", Jack growled.

Reynolds nodded. "How did you know, who you were?"

"Samantha and I had these metal plates around our necks with our names on it. Daniel had some written documents with him with his name on them. As for T… it took a while, until one of us remembered his name, and I still have the feeling it's not his actual name, but he seems okay with it.", Jack explained.

Well, Reynolds mused, this explained, why they kept calling Sam 'Samantha'. They were sticking to her name engraved on the dog tags they had found earlier, not remembering that she was usually going by 'Sam'. "His name is Teal'c.", he informed Jack absentmindedly, motioning in Teal'c's general direction.

Jack shrugged and Reynolds assumed that the black ops soldier didn't so much as believe him a word.

Well, back to the topic. "So despite the memory loss you found out, who you all were and in what connection you stood to each other?", Reynolds questioned.

"I just said that, didn't I?", Jack shot back impatiently.

Reynolds said nothing to it, but rather waited for more. Jack sighed. "We all had these feelings… somehow we knew that we knew each other. That we were close."

"How close?", Reynolds prompted. Suddenly he had a bad feeling tingling up his spine that told him he was onto something he may not want to know.

Jack's eyes squinted. "T and I are close. I know he isn't one of us, but he is a close friend. To all of us.", he began. "Daniel and Samantha are close, but in another kind. He's her older brother. He and I are friends. Most of the time."

So far Reynolds wasn't really surprised. The feelings they had about each other matched the bonds they had formed before their memory loss. Which almost made Reynolds dread to ask…

"What about the Major and you?"

Jack seemed confused. Reynolds chastised himself immediately. He kept forgetting that ranks wouldn't tell them anything.

"Samantha.", Reynolds clarified, feeling uneasy. Jack looked up at the woman standing behind Reynolds, and for the first time since they'd found SG-1, the Colonel smiled. Serenely.

"She's my wife.", he said with absolute certainty.

Reynolds felt the air leave his lungs abruptly. Yeah, just what he'd dreaded to hear! Oh god, Jack and Sam were some of the best officers the SGC had to offer, but this here could get them in serious trouble!

"Alright…", Reynolds choked out through gritted teeth. He needed a moment to think!

Standing up swiftly, he motioned for a rather pale Major Ferretti to bind Sam next to the Colonel to the tree. The Major complied and the moment he stepped back, Jack used his unbound arm to push his untouched MRE at her. Reynolds and Ferretti trotted back a few steps, but they were still able to hear the hushed conversation between the two officers of SG-1.

"Eat.", Jack ordered her with what Reynolds recognized as his CO-voice.

Sam looked at him puzzled. "But…! What about you?"

"I'm fine.", he assured her.

Sam looked about ready to protest, when he silenced her with a well-placed stare. "Samantha, I know you haven't eaten properly this last few days! Eat! I'll be okay."

Reluctantly she nodded and then picked up the food. Jack settled back against the tree and put his free arm around her shoulders. She finished the food in record time and then, sighing, she leaned into his embrace, looking as relaxed as possible in her situation. He turned for her and placed a kiss on top of her head. She looked up and then nuzzled into his neck.

Reynolds wanted to run his hands through his hair in frustration. Catastrophe! This screamed disaster! The Colonel's thoughts were racing, contemplating what he could do to help those officers, because he damn well knew Jack would've done the same for him. Sam probably too.

"Sir?", Major Ferretti asked quietly next to him.

"Yes?", Reynolds asked back.

"Permission to speak freely?"

Reynolds sighed. "Of course, Lou. What is it?"

The Major heaved a breath. "I'd like to forget about what I just heard and saw…!", he said boldly.

Reynolds smiled at that. "Yeah, sounds like a good idea.", he admitted, before pondering: "But actually, I think it may be wiser to forget after we've helped them through this here."

Ferretti grinned to that. "You're right.", he stated. "They still need our help. But when we're through? I'm probably not remembering anything…"

"Actually.", Reynolds agreed. "I just may be, too."

* * *

_A/N: One of the first things I have actually written, so the SG teams' members probably aren't really correct. I've gone with what I knew then about the teams and added cameo appearances or devised persons to fill the rows. I tried to correct it, but I'm not really sure, if i succeeded. But who cares anyways, the story isn't about them..._


	12. Hurt

_**Author's note**__: Wow, so many of you requested more for 'Memory'! Thank you for that! Unfortunately, these are all supposed to be one-shots, so I will not continue 'Memory' within this collection, BUT I do accept story requests. So if you want to read more of something, let me know and if I feel up to the task, I'll put it on my List of Next Projects and get to it as soon as I have gotten all those ideas currently bouncing around in my head out.  
Ironically, 'Memory' (as well as a few other chapters in here) originally started out as notes for a longer story, but I abandoned it for other stories or because I felt the story wasn't really going anywhere…_

_**Around the regs**_

_Chapter Twelve – Hurt_

Jack slowly walked down the corridor. It was eerily silent, but for once he didn't mind. Normally, whenever he entered this section of the Mountain, there was always some kind of background noise caused by running experiments or machines, but astonishingly, not today. But that was quite alright for Jack. He was almost welcoming the quietness on this particular day.

Noiselessly, the Colonel strolled on until he reached his destination. The door to her lab was opened and the same silence that reigned in the whole hallway came from her shelter. Not a good sign, Jack deduced. Either she wasn't where he'd believed her to be, or…

Discreetly, he halted in the doorway and did a quick sweep of the room. To his relief, she was there.

He leaned against the doorframe and quietly studied her. She sat upright at her work bench, pretending to work. But she didn't, he could clearly see that. She was staring straight ahead, her eyes unfocused, and her fingers fiddled with a pen instead of examining the alien doohickey she had lying in front of her as a pretense. She hadn't shifted, when he had arrived, so he was pretty sure, she hadn't even noticed him approaching. She was completely absorbed. Jack suppressed a heavy sigh. He had suspected it. He had already checked on Daniel and Teal'c and both men had been fine, but he had known beforehand, she wouldn't be.

Slowly, Jack pushed himself off the doorframe and wandered over to her. She didn't look up or acknowledge his presence in any way, but her tensing body let him know that she had finally noticed the company she had. Without saying a word, he stepped up to her and with his foot he dragged a chair over to sit down next to her. She still stared straight ahead. He knew she wasn't ignoring him, she just felt averse to speak in general. He also knew that, following protocol, she should greet him – a superior officer – properly, but she wouldn't. Again, he didn't mind in the slightest. He was more than ready to cut her some slack.

For a while they sat next to each other, none of them speaking. Jack wouldn't begin this conversation, it was her place. Then again, she probably wouldn't say anything at all, knowing her. But that made it quite hard for him to help her out of this.

He could literally feel the pain and the grief she was giving off. She had every right to feel like this, he knew, but knowing Carter she probably would find it inapt, unprofessional. She would feel that, just like a _good soldier_, she should be able to go on unaffected. It was a lesson she had yet to learn, he figured. Days like this one you just didn't put behind you unaffected, no matter how good you were as a soldier.

Yes, it was part of their job, a risk you always had to be aware of, but then again, sometimes it just came so suddenly, so out of the blue, that every preparation you could have made mentally before, wouldn't help you to work through it. Jack knew that every time they went through the Stargate, there was the high possibility that not all of them would return, and Carter knew it just as well. But they really had been taken by surprise this time. Just this morning SG-1 had accompanied SG-9 to a diplomatic mission as backup, just to make sure, as General Hammond had said. Neither of them all had reckoned with any difficulties, seeing that SG-9 had been to this particular planet half a dozen times before without encountering any problems. And at the beginning, everything had been going smooth as planned. SG-9 had made good progress in negotiating for the rights to mine naquadah on the planet, when, all of a sudden and completely unexpected, everything had gone downhill in a second. There hadn't even been a tiny clue to give away a possible shift and so they had all been taken completely by surprise. Before SG-1 could have reacted in any way, shooting had erupted all around the room and while Jack had somehow managed to get both teams back through the Stargate, they had returned one man short. Or one woman, as it had been. Lieutenant Kelsey, a freshly appointed member of the diplomatic team, had died in the first shots that had bounced through the meeting room, and although Jack had stood directly behind her with his fingers on his P90 to boot, he hadn't had the slightest chance to save her in time. He knew this and it helped him cope. And he knew all others knew, too, so no one was even thinking of blaming him. He regretted the Lieutenant's death, he really did, but at the same time he understood that it had been inevitable. Whatever they could have made different wouldn't have changed a thing for her. Because no one could have foreseen the sudden change in mood and without any indication to make them suspicious in any way, there was nothing anyone of them could have done for the poor Lieutenant. Hell, it was purely coincidental that it had been her and not someone else! Jack had stood all but two feet away from her and tactically speaking, he had been the far better target, so what exactly had made their alien foes shoot the Lieutenant was for fate only to know…

Jack knew that Carter was acutely aware of all that, and that she wasn't blaming anyone but the timing and the circumstances. Still, that didn't mean that she wasn't mourning her fellow female officer. Jack knew that she had helped Kelsey a great deal with those negotiations, seeing that this was her first big mission on SG-9 and the Lieutenant was struggling with problems Carter could very well identify with: she had desperately wanted to make this mission a success but without the help of her own team, feeling that she still had to prove her worth to the men. So Kelsey had turned to an older, more experienced female officer, asking for advice on how to handle the off-world situations and negotiations. Seeing that Carter herself didn't have the luxury of a mentor when she'd started in the program, but still had had the same problems, she had been helping the young Lieutenant through it step by step. Only to see her die in the final steps of what had been supposed to be her first successful negotiation. Only to see Kelsey's team stomp down the ramp to the 'Gate room in resigned anger, carrying her lifeless body with them.

Sometimes, life in general was fucking unfair. Sometimes, life in general sucked. Big time. Jack understood it fully. Being in command for countless years, he'd seen fellow comrades go down more often than he cared to admit. Being in command, he'd also every so often been the one to order subordinate officers to the task that would turn out to be their death sentence…

It always hurt to lose a team member. Some losses would hurt more and some less, but they always hurt. And right now, Carter was hurting. Because of an unexpected loss. And while he couldn't do anything to reverse it or make the situation somehow bearable for her, he could be there for her. Could help her through it. He knew from experience that words only helped so much. They wouldn't bring their fallen comrade back and for the one in pain often were only hollow shells of an apology or signs of sympathy. So Jack didn't even try to tell her the usual. If she wanted to talk about, then he would be there, listening, but as long as she remained silent, he wouldn't say a word, either.

So, wordlessly, he reached over and laid one of his larger hands onto hers that still fiddled with the pen. She froze in her movements, apparently only now becoming aware of what she was doing, and then dropped the pen tersely. Slowly, she turned her head over to him, looking him straight into the eyes. Unshed tears danced in her watery eyes, but she stubbornly refused to let them fall. He smiled comfortingly at her, silently thanking her that she let him see how miserable she was and that she accepted him at her side. Without saying anything or breaking their gaze, she untangled her clenched hands and wrapped them around his. She held onto him with tense strength, but he let her. His thumb stroked over the pale, soft skin on her hand, when her fingers intertwined with his.

He gazed down into her wide, blue eyes, seeing the signs of distress and suffering she was going through hidden in there, even though she was putting up quite the effort in holding up her professionally blank mask. Right now, she was vulnerable and she didn't want anyone to see or know, but she let him in, and for that he was immensely grateful. Everyone needed someone to get through these situations with and he would do much to be allowed to be the one at her side. He would always be there, when she needed someone to support her, that he knew precisely.

Quietly, he reached out towards her with his free hand, brushing an errand strand of hair away from her eyes. When he did so, he made sure to touch his thumb to the side of her eye for a tiny moment to let her know that he knew what she was going through and that it was okay. He didn't want her to have to worry she had to hold up some kind of facade for him.

She blinked rapidly, fighting a losing battle, and Jack saw the exact moment she failed to hold on any longer. She jumped up, her chair clattering to the ground behind her. And he met her half-way, rising from his seat promptly. She fell into his arms and in a swift movement, he had turned them so he stood with his backside leant against her work bench, blocking out the security camera's sight on her with his body. He wanted to protect her privacy and her reputation, even though she probably couldn't care less right now. She would later on, though.

Sam clutched onto him, one of her hands clawing into his shirt, while the other one, still entangled with one of his, was getting crushed between their entwined bodies. He laid his free arm around her shoulders firmly, securely, and then bent over slightly to rest his head on top of hers, curling his larger frame protectively around hers. Her head came to lie on his collarbone, her forehead and her nose pressing against his throat. He could feel her lips trembling and then, quietly, hot drops began to fall to the bare skin of his collarbone, before they began to soak into the fabric of his shirt. She pushed closer and he shifted his feet, so she could stand between his legs, now completely shielding her from the outside and the harsh reality with his body. He let her get it all out of her system, feeling that she needed the outlet. He rubbed small, comforting circles with his fingers on her back, but didn't ease up on the strength with which he pulled her against him. Right now, she needed an anchor and he was more than willing to provide it for her.

She didn't say a thing, heck, she didn't even make a sound and if not for the slight trembling of her shoulders and the wet trails on his upper chest, he wouldn't have even known she was crying.

Without realizing what he was doing, Jack lowered his head, until his nose was buried in her hair and deliberately, he inhaled, deeply sucking in her unique scent. It was surprisingly comforting to hold her warm, alive body against his, he noticed. Naturally, his team had been in the same life-threatening danger as SG-9 and Jack knew that a mere fluke of fate had ensured that it had been one of SG-9's men and not one of his own, who'd gone down. It could have as easily been Teal'c or Daniel – or even her. So him and Carter standing here, holding onto each other, soothing each other, proving to each other they were still alive made them the lucky ones. And Jack was grateful for that coincidence. He by no means wished this fate on anyone, much less the young Lieutenant Kelsey, but he still couldn't help but be relieved it hadn't hit someone of SG-1, someone of his friends. They had come out of it lucky and while they were all hurting emotionally more or less, physically they were fine. And this did a great job in reassuring Jack. Even though Carter was all but clutching onto him, untypically crying even, she was alive. She was here, breathing. She was still with him. And for that fact alone Jack was thankful, so as much as she was suffering right now, he couldn't help but feel relieved.

They stood for god only knew how long in her silent lab, him holding her tight, while she allowed herself a moment to fall apart and properly mourn all those moments in her military career, where destiny had just thrown her for an unexpected loop, flung a mentally and physically exhausting challenge at her, only to expect her to cope with it unaffected.

Finally, he felt her tears dry, when there were no fresh ones to run down his skin. He waited for her to draw back, but she didn't. She stayed in his embrace, and then, slowly, she brought up the hand that still held his to tuck it under her chin, her lips brushing over their entwined knuckles. He knew what she was doing as accurately as if she'd said the actual words. She was nonverbally thanking him for his support. In response, he shifted his head, burying his face in the crook of her neck, lightly skimming his lips over her sensitive skin. There was nothing he'd rather do than be there for her.

Eventually, she pulled back. Immediately he eased up his grip on her, but again, she didn't separate herself from him. She stayed right against him, only looking up at him now. Her eyes were red rimmed from her crying and light sniffles escaped from her, but to Jack, she looked just as beautiful as she ever did. She was Carter. There was nothing she could look like that wouldn't make him think of her as beautiful.

He gazed right back, firmly and confidently. Right now, she was the one spinning at the edge of control and he provided stability and strength. He was the rock to her emotional crashing waves. And when he looked down into her eyes, he saw insecurities reflecting from her large blue orbs. He had seen her in a moment of weakness and normally that was something Major Doctor Samantha Carter just didn't show. But Jack knew that every now and then, everyone needed a moment to break down, a moment where everything they did and the consequences it had would become too overwhelming and the urge to get away would become too much. She had needed a moment to escape from reality to let loose of all the misery dragging her down and get her act together once more.

And now he could clearly read from her expression that she worried. Worried that he would see her differently, because she had displayed understandable, human feelings. Worried that he would think less of her, because she had failed to hold on to her strong military persona. Boy was she wrong! If anything, it only made him love her more. The fact that she let herself go in his presence, that she trusted him enough to let him comfort her, that she let him help her through her misery, that she allowed him at her side when she felt emotionally vulnerable spoke volumes about their emotional connection and he felt honored. He had always been protective of his 2IC and the fact that she let him protect her, while she still was the strong, independent soldier to the rest of the world, made it strangely special for him.

So he grinned reassuringly at her, wordlessly letting her know how he felt and then leant forwards to press his lips against her forehead for the split of a second. When he pulled back, a light blush graced her cheeks and he knew his message had been understood.

Then, reluctantly, they parted. Because as comforting as it was, there was only a certain amount of time they could stand like this without triggering suspicions. She shifted, somewhat uncomfortable when their connection was severed, but he would have none of that. Grabbing onto her wrist, he pulled her with him, out of her dead-silent, isolated lab and to the elevator. He pushed the button, and silently, they waited for the cabin to arrive. She didn't ask and he didn't tell, but they both knew they were headed to the commissary so he could treat her to some Jell-O, while telling her a few, lame jokes with a mouth half full of cake to get her to smile again.

When the elevator arrived, they entered, still in mutual, comfortable silence. Despite what they had been through the last hours, neither of them felt the need to speak. Sometimes, there were just no words needed between them.

* * *

_A/N: For all the times I felt the series just skipped over the aftereffects and consequences an emotional or physical turmoil might have had on SG-1…  
And, honestly, when to show the connection between Jack and Sam better, than when they feel vulnerable?  
_


	13. Future

_**Author's note**__: Once more, thank you all for your support!_

_**Around the regs**_

_Chapter Thirteen – Future_

"Ooohhh, this is so… _fascinating!_", Daniel said for the umpteenth time, now only seconds short of bouncing on his heels in excitement.

Jack felt a familiar twitch creep up towards his eyebrow, indicating that he about had it with the archaeologist. Unfortunately, the Colonel didn't have Teal'c's unending patience or Carter's ability to focus somewhere completely else, so if Space-monkey would say only _once more _that something was 'fascinating', Jack was sure he'd blow.

Sighing, Jack shifted, his fingers running up and down the handle of his P90 in routine. Yeah, just his luck that Daniel had literally stumbled upon an unknown culture in the very last minute, before they were to depart from this planet to announce to the SGC it was utterly deserted and had nothing worthy for them…

They had trudged through thick rain forest and dense underbrush for three days and had seen nothing but… _exotic_ animals. When Carter had finally declared that all samples turned out useless for them and they had finally convinced Daniel to stop searching for any ruins or rocks in the middle of a tropic forest, they had made their way back to the Stargate, only to stumble a klick away from their way home upon a camp, when they had had to leave their initial way because of a mudslide. Of course, Daniel had been in heaven and Jack had instantly known that nothing short of dragging his friend kicking and screaming to the Stargate would get him away any time soon.

So, resigning to his fate, Jack had swept his eyes over the middle-sized camp and assessed their situation. To him it seemed like a makeshift camp, but he had a feeling that the people they'd encountered were living there. Tents littered the largest clearing they had yet found in this forest with campfire holes between them, some smaller, only intended for light, and some larger, probably for cooking. Cords were hanging between the tents, drying clothes dangling from some of them. The people living there had welcomed them friendly and not at all surprised, so Jack had assumed that they had already known of them being here. They very much reminded the Colonel of the Native Americans. They had long, silky black hair, dark black eyes and coppery skin. They wore colorful clothes and the only weapons Jack could make out were bows and arrows strapped to the backs of their men.

Daniel had immediately made contact and upon seeing that he could understand their language – from what he'd proclaimed almost singing with pleasure it was some kind of Mayan dialect or something along those lines – he'd practically started bombarding the people with questions. The people seemed open and answered the curious archaeologist patiently and in detail. Sighing, Jack had deduced that they would spend some time here, and seeing that night was about to fall, he had deemed it the better solution than having to spend another night in this jungle…

Together with Carter and Teal'c, Jack had taken a seat in front of one of the large campfires, the women immediately offering them food. Not wanting to refuse them, Jack took a large, unidentifiable piece of meat and ate it, all the time telling himself that it was tasting just like chicken. He so didn't want to know what exactly he was eating right now. Carter and Teal'c had stuck to the fruits and vegetables they'd gotten offered. Wimps.

Daniel, naturally, had tried anything the people were giving him and silently, Jack guessed the natives were having quite the fun letting the archaeologist try the weirdest things, but he didn't bother telling his friend his suspicion. Who was he to ruin the other man's fun?

Night fell around them and instantly, the jungle was all awake. Just like the nights before, Jack could hear myriads of unknown animals crawl all around them. The nights before, he had set up his team in shifts of two men taking watch together, just to be on the safe side, but maybe, this night they could get a bit more sleep. Jack observed the natives reactions to the animals, but no one seemed concerned, so Jack deemed them secure for the time being. Surely no animal would be stupid enough to raid a camp this large.

The log they were sitting at in front of the fire wobbled, when Daniel flopped down next to him. On Jack's other side, Carter swayed for a moment, taken by surprise, but she steadied herself routinely, grabbing onto Jack's thigh by accident. As always when he wasn't prepared for her touching him, an electric tingle raced through his body, but thankfully his Special Forces training ensured that he kept a straight, unperturbed face, when he turned to her. She looked at her hand on his thigh and then, slowly, withdrew it, shooting him an apologetic gaze. However, before she had any chance to be embarrassed about it, Daniel was demanding their full attention.

"They want us to take part in one of their rituals!", the archaeologist exclaimed enthusiastically, waving his hands around in emphasis.

"What ritual?", Jack asked immediately, his sense of suspicion triggered. Daniel's curiosity had gotten them into tight spots uncountable times before, so Jack felt a good portion of doubt was in order, when the good doctor was getting ahead of himself.

Daniel waved him off, turning for Sam in the hopes of gaining an ally. "From what I have gathered, we arrived at a special time. They normally don't live here, but come here for an important ceremony. They claim that in this ceremony, the spirits will reveal their destiny to them!"

"How?", Sam asked, before Jack could. Secretly, the Colonel smiled to himself. It seemed his caution was rubbing off on his 2IC. Sweet.

"They sing and dance to get into a state of trance.", Daniel explained and then lost himself in assumptions how and which cultures on Earth could have influenced the natives here. Jack tuned him out and turned towards Carter, raising an eyebrow at her inquisitively.

"Sounds harmless to me, sir.", she assessed.

Jack suppressed a groan. He had a bad feeling. But he usually had this, whenever Daniel declared something to be 'fascinating'. Then again, he couldn't find anything remotely dangerous or suspicious about this, either. The natives they'd encountered were friendly and helpful and they had obviously given Daniel the rundown on the events to leave them the choice to decline, if they wanted. And seeing that Jack had read of similar rituals being performed by Indian tribes on Earth and Carter deemed it safe…

"Okay, Space-monkey, you get to have your fun!", Jack announced brusque, effectively interrupting the still speculating archaeologist. Daniel obviously didn't mind, if the huge smile on his face was any indication.

Not long thereafter the natives assembled around the fire. One after the other they started singing, unknown words washing over SG-1. The low, rumbling voices of the men and the high melodic voices of the women mixed together in a strange sound that was eerily similar to Indian music. Some of them were even drumming, giving their long, drawn-out songs a bass line. One after the other, Jack saw the natives stop in their movements, their eyes looking somewhere far away unseeing, while the others continued singing unfazed. After some time the person would return and rejoin the singing, and then another one would go into trance. But to Jack's silent relief, nothing happened to his team. He, Carter and Teal'c sat still, listening attentively, while Daniel swayed with the natives, but neither of them seemed to lose contact with reality. Much to Daniel's disappointment from what the Colonel could tell.

Finally, an elderly woman stood up and sauntered over to them. Smiling in a friendly way she reached out for Jack, but he retreated, unsure what she was about to do. Daniel scowled at him, but when Jack gave no indication that he would allow the woman anywhere near him, the archaeologist motioned for the woman to try on him whatever she had been about to do. Jack wanted to warn his friend, but the woman had laid her fingers against his friend's forehead, before he could utter a word. Daniel's eyes glazed over, his expression turning void and unseeing like those of the natives had been before. Impatiently Jack waited, and after a few minutes Daniel seemed to snap out of it. His eyes widened and his mouth opened astonished, before he began to thank the woman profusely.

"What happened?", Sam asked next to Jack, scientific curiosity clear in her voice.

Daniel opened and closed his mouth, gaping astonished. Then he shook his head and turned for Sam. "I… I think I saw the future. My future.", he said.

"The future?", Jack and Sam echoed simultaneously, both sounding quite doubtful.

Daniel nodded slowly. "I think so. It was quite… confusing, to be honest."

"What did you see?", Sam asked.

"Myself.", Daniel answered. "Or rather an older version of myself."

"And what did this older version of you do, Daniel Jackson?", Teal'c inquired patiently.

"I was… somewhere else.", Daniel said, his brow furrowed, while he thought things through. "Everything was white, and then again, it was not. I was with a woman, a woman I've never seen before, yet I had the feeling I knew her. I had a strange… power. I mean, I felt powerful, as if I could do anything I wanted, if I wanted. And I had knowledge… so much knowledge about so many things…"

"Sounds more like your dreams to me, not your future.", Jack concluded.

Next to him, Sam shook her head. "Sir, maybe Daniel got a hunch to where his future will lead him. Maybe he will discover something that will allow him such knowledge. We've seen stranger things happen on our journeys."

Daniel nodded. "I don't know why, but I had the strong feeling that this wasn't a dream. It was true! Or rather, it will be."

Jack looked at his friend, as if he'd gone nuts. "You sure, you weren't hallucinating?", he taunted.

Daniel looked about ready to protest, but stopped himself, when he saw the older woman wander over to Sam. Again, she raised her fingers to lay them upon the forehead of the team's 2IC and Jack couldn't help the sinking feeling of dread spreading in his stomach. In an instinctive reaction, he grabbed her around her upper arm, pulling her closer to him and out of the woman's immediate reach. He was protective of her and even if Daniel had emerged unharmed from this procedure it didn't mean she would.

Sam turned to him and smiled reassuringly at him, before she moved forwards so her forehead touched the woman's fingers. Jack didn't hold her back this time, but let his hand remain on her arm, just so he wouldn't lose his sanity at seeing her normally smart, animated eyes glaze over and her beautiful face going slack. He actually stopped breathing, only inhaling again, when she returned from her trance. She looked just as she always did, but confused beyond words.

"What did you see?", Daniel asked eagerly.

"I'm not exactly sure.", she answered. "There was some… colorful cloud? I could see it from… some room I was in, and you were all there, as well as my father… You were talking to me, trying to tell me something, but I couldn't really hear you. My head was spinning and I felt… strange. I knew there was something I needed to do and I think you all tried to help me, but I couldn't remember, what that was…"

She looked up to Jack, her gaze bewildered. "I have no idea, what that should mean."

He didn't either, so he simply smiled at her soothingly, caressing her arm in a quick movement, before he finally let go of her.

Meanwhile the woman had continued on to Teal'c and ever the brave, the Jaffa didn't hesitate a second, before plunging into the task at hand. They waited silently for a moment, but Teal'c emerged the fastest so far. The Jaffa had a large grin on his face, Jack hadn't seen before.

Before Daniel could even ask, Teal'c said strongly: "I have seen the future. The Jaffa will be free."

"Really?", Daniel asked astonished. "You've seen actual events, not some symbolic hints like me and Sam?"

"No.", Teal'c answered. "I have just felt an overwhelming feeling of peace and calm. It can only mean one thing: the Goa'uld have been defeated and the Jaffa are freed."

Jack and Daniel exchanged a quick, doubtful glance, but neither of them was about to destroy their friend's true belief.

"Um… then congratulations, my friend. That's good to know.", Jack said diplomatically. Teal'c inclined his head in agreement, when Carter clapped her hand onto his shoulder and Daniel voiced his joy for their friend.

Then the older woman stepped up to Jack. The Colonel tensed up. It went against every instinct and training he'd ever had to just let an unknown stranger temper with his awareness and consequently with his sanity. Sam seemed to pick up on his hesitation and skidded slightly closer, offering him support by her presence. He knew, her scientific background allowed her to see things differently and he trusted her instincts. So he didn't move away, when the woman drew nearer and extended her hand. Her cold fingers touched his forehead and immediately the whole world tuned out for him. An electric spark ran through his whole body and suddenly, he was somewhere completely else.

Jack looked around, but instead of Carter, Teal'c and Daniel sitting next to him in front of a campfire on P-_who-the-hell-can-actually-remember-this-for-crying-out-loud_, he was standing in his house in Colorado Springs. Jack let his eyes roam the familiar surroundings. Or the once familiar surroundings. Somehow his house didn't look like he'd left it last weekend. There was furniture he didn't recognize and from what he could see through the large windows going to the garden, the house had been extended. Cautiously, Jack stepped around the large L-couch he certainly hadn't had in his house the last time he'd been there to the fireplace. He'd always had photos stacked on it, but now it seemed awfully crowded with snapshots. Jack looked them over quickly, but most of the photos didn't make any sense to him. There were pictures of him, where he obviously got a medal or a promotion and a few similar showed Carter. On one of the photos he stood next to her, both of them in their Dress Blues with uncountable medals hanging on their jackets. Long blonde hair flowed over Carter's shoulders, but Jack couldn't remember her ever having had long hair. Strange. A few photos were of Teal'c, Rya'c and Bra'tac, and a bit more of Daniel. Jack didn't recognize half of the places where those photos had actually been taken and in some were also people he didn't know, mostly a brown-haired Colonel and a woman with black pigtails.

Confused, he wandered on, scanning the uncountable pictures hanging on the walls. After his failed marriage and before SG-1 Jack didn't have any pictures anywhere in his house. Only after he had joined the SGC and had worked through his son's death, he had started hanging them up again. At first it had only been a few pictures of his son, and Jack could still see them hanging, where he'd first placed them. Then there had been pictures of him and his family, SG-1. But now his house seemed full of pictures!

He let his eyes travel over the photos bewildered. Pictures of parties and barbecues with uncountable people from the SGC or unknown strangers. Then there were photos of various children. A little girl on a school exhibition, holding up a first-place-certificate, her large grin displaying a gap, where one of her front teeth was missing. Two blonde boys covered in mud and dirt from head to toe, both grinning evilly. Again a girl, most likely the same as before, but younger, attempting to bake, her face and clothes white with flour, a laughing Daniel standing next to her, not really looking any better. Another little boy sitting in the lap of the brown-haired Colonel, half asleep, while the man held out a beer in greeting to the photographer. The same boy, a little older, walking his first steps with an older Cassandra holding his hands, the alien woman smiling widely. And so it went on, innumerable pictures showing the life of children Jack had never seen before. For a moment, he wondered if he had sold his house and was getting a glimpse on someone else's life. Someone who had to belong to SG-1, seeing that most pictures showed them.

Jack came to another picture that made him stop in his tracks. Almost frozen in disbelief he stared at the image. It showed him, in his Dress Blues, laughing happily, while holding onto a woman. The woman wore a downright gorgeous wedding dress and had her light hair done up in an elaborate way, but unfortunately that was all he could see of her, since she was standing with her back to the photographer. The picture was taken showing him and the woman in a beautifully, but moderately decorated room, dancing closely. All around them in the half-darkness of the dimmed lights Jack could make out the faces of his friends, recognizing Daniel, Teal'c, General Hammond, Siler, Harriman and a few others in the crowd observing with happy smiles, what seemed to be his wedding dance… Jack recoiled, almost as if he'd burned himself. He'd married?! Again?! Really?

He really couldn't see himself marry again!

Jack studied the picture closely and saw that the him in the picture wasn't the same as he was today. He seemed older, more lines gracing his face and his hair had turned a shade of silver. But all in all he hadn't changed much. So it wasn't that far in the future? Given this was the future and not some big, galactic joke…

Jack turned and pretty much stumbled to the windows and the door connecting the living room with the garden. He had remarried. Holy mother of god! Why?

He reached the door and laid his head against the glass, inhaling deeply. Of all the things he _ever_ could have done… marrying?!

Suddenly, movement ripped him from his stunned musing. There was someone in the garden! Jack perked up and in a sudden quick move, he opened the door and stepped out. Even his garden looked different. Given, it still held his beloved barbecue grill, but now it was mostly dominated by kids' toys littered all around. On the patio, in the cool shadows, laid a gigantic German shepherd that raised his head lethargically, when he stepped out of the house. The dog wagged his tail, but didn't move, which told Jack that it must know him somehow. But the last time he'd checked, he didn't have a dog…

Jack looked on, ignoring the dog for the time being. His garden was bathed in sunlight and he had to squint for a moment, before he saw clear. When he finally did, his eyes fell onto a little girl, probably about eight or nine years old with long brownish-blonde curls and light blue eyes, who was sitting at the garden table, apparently doing homework. She seemed completely absorbed and, absurdly, appeared to have fun…! Around her raced two young boys about four or five years old, playing catch. Both had identical smooth blond hair and blue eyes, telling Jack that they were twins. And not far away from them walked a small boy in diapers. He had wild, brown hair and dark brown eyes that looked around calm and serious. The child clutched onto the hands of undoubtedly his mother, while trying to walk. The woman next to the small boy had bent forwards so he could take her hands, long blonde hair flowing around her graceful, slender figure in the gusts of wind.

Jack felt as if all air had left his lungs. Not only had he married, again, no, he'd also formed a family! Apparently, if this _was_ his future, he had a wife, a daughter and three sons! Holy sh…!

Jack's eyes locked on the woman walking with the smallest child. He couldn't see her, but the moment he looked at her a well-known feeling took hold of his gut. He felt calm, happy and secure. He felt accepted and at peace. He felt understood, at a very intuitive level. And he felt, as if he belonged.

And suddenly, he knew who he'd married. Who he had four children with. And he knew why he'd married again.

A big, satisfied, smug grin spread over his face, threatening to split it in half. If this was his future, then he couldn't wait for it!

Then, all of a sudden, the peaceful picture vanished and with a crash he felt himself return to his body. His eyes snapped open, although he was pretty sure, they'd been open in the first place and he looked straight into Carter's worried eyes.

"Sir?", she asked persistently. Behind her hovered Daniel and Teal'c, both looking rather concerned.

"Carter?", he answered, feeling the shit-eating grin still dominating his face.

"Are you alright?", she asked, anxious. Was he…? Oh, he'd probably never felt better in his whole life!

"Oh, you have no idea.", he said in a decidedly good mood. Confused, his 2IC exchanged a quick glance with Daniel.

"Carter, I'm alright.", he assured her, when none of his friends seemed to catch up with his humor.

"Really?", she inquired doubtful. "You were gone for about fifteen minutes!"

And boy, what fifteen minutes that had been! He couldn't help himself. Upon seeing her worried gaze searching his face, his smile broke out full-force one more. Married, he thought smugly.

"I didn't notice.", he said, when it became obvious that his team was waiting for some reaction from him.

"You sure, you're alright…?", Daniel tried from the background. He seemed haunted by remorse, because he had suggested their partake in this ritual.

"Really, I'm fine.", Jack insisted. "Had a nice dream."

"This was _not_ a dream.", Daniel corrected automatically, while Carter still scanned his every movement. Then, unnoticed by their friends, she laid her hands over his larger ones, stroking over them and Jack immediately cursed his gloves for being in the way.

"You gave us quite the scare, sir.", she admitted humbly.

"Sorry 'bout that.", he answered. "But really, nothing happened. I only saw my future."

Yeah, who woulda thought he'd ever say those words in this order… And from what he'd gathered, he'd even seen it in great detail, when he compared it to the experiences his friends had made. Lucky him!

"Oh? What did you see?", Daniel asked.

Jack shot a quick glance over to Carter. She listened, but seemed more interested in his well-being, her hands still holding onto him as if she had to make sure, he was still with them. Jack knew one thing for sure. He couldn't say, what he'd seen. Whatever might or might not happen in the future, right now, there was no way he could allow things to change. So, turning back to Daniel, he smiled once more at the knowledge only he held and would hold.

"I retired.", he answered. Because, really, this was the only way he saw, how his future could happen the way it apparently was supposed to…

"You retired, sir?", Carter asked, her face falling as if she couldn't bear the thought of him leaving. Admittedly, he shouldn't like that expression of hers as much as he did, but, it was nice knowing that she liked having him close to her. Really, he was beginning to like this planet…!

He looked at her and suddenly retirement – the goal enticing him for years – had a whole other charm than only having free time and not having to follow stupid orders anymore. Again, the big grin played upon his lips.

"Oh yeah, I so retired.", he said. "And I so wasn't regretting it a minute!"

* * *

_A/N: Well, I personally don't think Jack and Sam would've ever gotten kids, but what else are we writing fanfiction for if not to change such little details…? And honestly, I have NO idea, what exactly made me settle for _four_ children, of all things, but that was just the way the story turned out written, before I noticed…  
But I can totally see Jack get a dog!  
_


	14. Attack

_**Author's note: **__So, it's been a while since the last update and I'm sorry about that. I've received a few bad comments for 'Around the regs' and I just needed a few days to gain a bit distance from all that. While I'm usually grateful for criticism, because it helps me improve, people just ranting about how they don't like what I do or how they don't like my style give me nothing concrete to work at. So while I'm sorry you don't like how I do things, I also don't force you to read it.  
I won't abandon 'Around the regs' as long as there are people who like reading it (and I'm not yet done), but maybe I'll reconsider about posting something else…_

_So, since I am in the mood for it, this time we'll do a little bit more action! Also, another third person view, this time from someone very well-known._

_**Around the regs**_

_Chapter Fourteen – Attack_

"I'm sorry, Major Carter, it's not working…", Harriman reported.

The Chief Master Sergeant saw the Major nod absentmindedly, but knew immediately that she was not really listening. From her expression however, he could tell, she was aware that it was not going as she had imagined it. The red warnings flashing from the computer monitors would tell her as much.

"Major Carter?", General Hammond's voice now asked from his position behind the Sergeant's chair.

Major Carter gnawed on her lip and Harriman could practically see her thoughts racing. Sighing, the Sergeant contemplated their situation. What could have gone wrong? Just an hour ago SG-17 had returned from a routine recon mission and the 'Gate had worked just fine. They even had a few off-world activations today and there hadn't been a semblance of a problem. And now, when SG-1 was about to depart, nothing was happening. Quite literally, even. The Stargate wasn't even uttering a sound anymore, nothing to indicate it was willing to rotate for them.

Major Carter punched another series of codes into the computer keyboards, hoping to elicit a reaction from the controlling computers. But, again, nothing was happening. The Stargate was acting as if it wasn't hooked up to their controlling systems at all. As if her commands weren't getting through at all…

"Carter?", Harriman heard Colonel O'Neill growl now and the Sergeant saw her flinch, as if she suddenly remembered that the General was most likely still awaiting an answer. She straightened up from her bent over position, her equipment weighing heavy on her. Seeing that SG-1 had been about to depart, she was in full combat gear and currently worked around the P90 clipped to her chest, but even though Harriman thought it to be surely hindering, Major Carter didn't seem to notice. Then again, she would probably have to make do somehow off-world all the time…

SG-1, General Hammond and all technicians in the control room were looking at her expectantly, but the brilliant Major only heaved an exhausted sigh.

"I'm sorry, sirs.", she said, her eyes switching between the General and the Colonel. "I can't say what's wrong with the Stargate. All I can say, is that it's refusing any and all orders. It could be possible, there's a malfunction somewhere in the system–"

Harriman could pinpoint the exact moment, the Colonel was losing his patience once more at one of his genius team mate's explanations. "Bottom line, Carter?", he interrupted.

She switched tracks in an instant, knowing the Colonel by heart. "I won't be able to fix it now. I'll have to run a diagnostic to see, where the fault is and how I can repair it."

Harriman could see the Colonel's face fall at that. "So I take it, we're not going on that mission, are we?"

"Well, certainly not now.", Major Carter confirmed.

"Alright.", General Hammond cut in. "Then remove your gear. Your mission's postponed. Doctor Jackson, see if you can help Major Carter–"

The General couldn't end his sentence, when suddenly the Stargate behind them began spinning in its familiar way. Harriman all but jumped in his seat, when the alarms began sounding out, coupled with the chevrons locking in place. From the corner of his eyes, the Sergeant saw Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter exchange a quick glance, the Major looking as uncomfortable as possible.

"Um… off-world activation…!", Harriman announced, more out of habit than necessity.

Automatically, security teams swarmed the 'Gate room, guns at the ready, while the blast doors closed after them securely. The wormhole kawooshed to life and Harriman stood up. He could see General Hammond straighten in alarm and Colonel O'Neill step forwards, coming to stand right behind his 2IC, looking over her shoulder down to the Stargate.

And the next thing, Harriman noticed was straight out of a nightmare. Suddenly, and completely unexpected, Jaffa began to swarm through the Stargate! Momentarily frozen in shock, Harriman saw one Jaffa after the other march out of the engaged wormhole, blazing staff weapons at the ready.

"Oh… god!", Daniel Jackson groaned, when shooting erupted down in the 'Gate room.

"The iris! Close the iris!", Major Carter ordered resolutely.

Harriman immediately smashed his hand down on the hand scanner that would activate the iris, but: "No reaction, Major!"

Swearing under her breath, Major Carter jumped for the controls, hacking agitatedly onto the keyboards to force a reaction if necessary.

"These are Ba'al's Jaffa!", Doctor Jackson reported with a hasty glance down into the 'Gate room.

"That was a trap!", Major Carter ground out tense. Slightly confused, Harriman turned over to the blonde Major, taking in her grim expression.

"Care to explain?", Colonel O'Neill asked strained, switching off the safety of his weapon, while looking towards General Hammond for further orders, but the General waited, wary of Major Carter's explanation.

Major Carter reached over the keyboards and Harriman shuffled back to give her room. "I'm pretty sure, Ba'al infected our computer system with a virus to cut our Stargate off from our controlling computers! We can't control it anymore, so he can use it to send his Jaffa here! And without the iris, we can't stop him! He must have used one of the off-world activations today, or maybe all of them, to plant a virus into our Stargate system!"

"Great…", O'Neill stated sarcastically, but General Hammond cut in: "Can you get us online again, Major?"

Harriman could see her working frantic, but he knew from her tense expression that whatever she was trying wasn't working out in her favor. "Not so fast, General.", she confirmed his concerns. "This may take a while and I fear we don't have the time to wait, until I have found a way to counteract the virus…!"

The General nodded in understanding, before turning towards the Chief Master Sergeant. "Lock down the Mountain!", the General ordered and Harriman complied immediately. As soon as the order was typed into the computer, all security doors closed and locked and all over the base the klaxons began to blare, announcing the foothold situation. SF's began to rush for the 'Gate room, coming to the defense and help of the security teams that were currently engaging the Jaffa warriors in a shooting match. Harriman could see plasma beams from the staff weapons crashing into the blast doors and the walls, ripping holes into the concrete. More and more Jaffa were coming through the engaged wormhole with each passing second, filling up the 'Gate room.

"Carter!", Harriman heard O'Neill yell impatiently. "Get the damn wormhole closed!"

The Major shook her head. "Sorry sir, I can't!", she shouted back. Suddenly she straightened, her eyes looking at something unsteadily. Harriman thought of calling out to her, when she just stopped working abruptly, but then realized, she was thinking something through. Something that was most likely the solution to their predicament.

But before she could come up with some ingenious solution to their problem, all of a sudden a sequence of explosions rang out from the 'Gate room. The whole control room shook despite being made of concrete and built into a Mountain and Harriman could feel himself lose his footing. He crashed down onto the floor together with Doctor Jackson. Colonel O'Neill and General Hammond had to steady themselves by grabbing onto the equipment, but Major Carter, who was still standing leaned against the Stargate's controls and Teal'c managed to stay upright.

A crackling sound made Harriman look up and suddenly, he saw that a wayward Jaffa bomb had managed to smash into the control room's window. It exploded violently and the glass shattered into million pieces, flying everywhere. Sergeant Harriman paled. Major Carter stood exactly in front of the window! The Sergeant saw that she was closely observing some warning flash on the monitors in front of her and knew instinctively, she wouldn't notice what was headed her way right away! He could hear her gasp surprised, when she finally looked up at the shattering sound and saw the glass flying everywhere, her body tensing up in expectation of getting hurt, but the second it took her to comprehend what had happened made her unable to react in time.

"CARTER!", O'Neill's voice cut through the sound of glass clashing and Harriman saw him surge forwards. The Colonel grabbed onto his blonde 2IC and hauled her backwards against him. Almost routinely, the black ops soldier let himself fall backwards onto his back, crashing onto the hard floor with his 2IC on top of him, before he rolled automatically, pushing her under him so he could shield her with his body. Harriman closed his eyes and shielded his head with his arms, when glass rained down onto them, cutting into his uniform. When he looked up again, Colonel O'Neill had just sat back on his heels, offering a hand to Major Carter, who was still lying underneath him. She let him pull her up and shot him a small, secret, grateful smile that Harriman had a feeling he so shouldn't have seen.

And then Major Carter proceeded to unclip her equipment. Her backpack fell onto the ground unwatched and the next things she laid down to the side, rather carefully, were a few of her precious measurement tools she had packed for SG-1's initial mission.

"Carter?", O'Neill said suspiciously, observing her closely. "Whatcha doin'?"

She looked up at him in a determined way that told Harriman that the Colonel would downright _hate_ the next thing she was going to say. "Sir, I have to get the iris closed or we will get overrun by Jaffa!", she stated confidently.

"Yeah. So?"

She shook her head slightly, while standing up. The Colonel followed her and Harriman did, too. Down in the 'Gate room, complete chaos had ensued. The blast doors were now opened widely to allow reinforcements through. Dead Jaffa littered the ramp leading to the Stargate and heavily armed SF's shielded the medical personnel that pulled wounded and possibly dead out of the overcrowded 'Gate room.

All at once they had to duck, when wayward plasma beams shot through the now wide open window of the control room.

"Sir, I can't do it from here anymore! None of the controls is reacting anymore!", Major Carter shouted over the battle sounds.

"Then how?", the Colonel shouted back, while absently brushing shards of glass from his camouflage BDUs.

"Manual control!", she yelled, pointing down to the 'Gate room. Harriman and O'Neill followed the direction she pointed, their eyes finding the control panel installed at the wall of the 'Gate room, right next to the Stargate!

"Are you kidding me?!", the Colonel roared.

"Sir, there's no other possibility!", she screamed back. Harriman was about to protest, but he shut his mouth firmly. He didn't have any authority to deny the Major, that was the Colonel's job. But seeing that the man normally had a keen sense of what needed to be done, Harriman was pretty sure that he would agree. Right now, the Jaffa were in the better position. They could just send more and more through the wormhole, but some time, Cheyenne Mountain would have reached its limits. Surely, the wormhole would disengage when it would have exceeded the time limit, but until Major Carter had gotten rid of this virus that cut them off from their own controlling devices Ba'al could just continue to dial Earth and establish one wormhole after the other to send his Jaffa through to attack Earth. And sometime they would get overrun. They wouldn't get reinforcements here fast enough to counter their enemies. So they desperately needed to shut the wormhole off or close the iris to stop the inflow of hostile warriors. Harriman knew this, and if he knew then there was no chance in hell Colonel O'Neill was unaware.

The Colonel stared down at his Major, his glowering eyes searching her determined ones.

"Oh, for cryin' out loud!", he cursed, before grabbing his Major quite roughly at her protection vest. Walking her to the stairs, he ordered, beyond gruff: "Stay behind me!"

Harriman couldn't hear if or what Major Carter answered, because in this instance, heavily armed SF's were storming into the control room, curtesy to General Hammond's order, no doubt. The SF's took position at the shattered window, positioning guns to shoot at the Jaffa below. Harriman gripped his own hand gun and together with Doctor Jackson, Teal'c and General Hammond, who took a weapon from one of the heavily armed SF's, he began firing down into the 'Gate room. Then Harriman could see Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter. They had rounded the 'Gate room and now were entering through the left blast doors, which were closer to the control panel at the wall. The Colonel made his way through the SF's, P90 raised high and firing relentlessly, while shielding Major Carter, who walked behind him, with his larger frame. Together they made their way along the wall, the Colonel felling every Jaffa that took an interest in them. Immediately Doctor Jackson and Teal'c began covering for them, shooting with unerring aim from above.

Down in the 'Gate room, the Colonel ducked behind the stationary Browning M2HB, using the machine gun's large shield for protection, and pulled Major Carter along. Together, they waited for a second, until the Colonel gave her the go and then she jumped for the control panel not far away. Harriman saw her activate the manual control, but, much to everyone's dismay, nothing happened. Major Carter's face scrunched up displeased and then she hurried back to where the Colonel stood. Harriman could see her talking to the Colonel and although he was still firing away he was clearly listening, nodding to her, when she had finished. Obviously there was some problem with the manual control as well…

Sighing, Harriman observed Major Carter separate from the Colonel once again and return to the manual control to work on it. Colonel O'Neill swung the machine gun around so that she was still protected by the large shield and continued firing over it with his P90. Major Carter had to work with her back pointed towards her enemies and she did so, completely trusting the Colonel to keep them off of her back.

The Colonel pumped his whole magazine into the approaching Jaffa, but when his P90 finally ran out of ammunition, he didn't bother reloading, but merely grabbed the fire-ready machine gun and continued on.

"Under all circumstances, cover Major Carter!", General Hammond yelled over the chaos and Harriman could see a few SF's down in the control room nod in response. And immediately Harriman understood, why the General had ordered it. The Jaffa seemed to have picked up on what Major Carter was doing, because they were rounding in on her and the Colonel, only kept at bay by the Colonel's precise handling of the M2HB.

By now plasma beams from various staff weapons were blowing up all around Major Carter, while she worked frantically at the control panel. She was just reaching over to pull down the switch to close the iris, when Harriman saw a plasma beam finally connect with her. Smoldering white smoke rose from her shoulder, when she was thrown forwards and Harriman could see her knock against the concrete wall, before she slumped to the ground. The Sergeant winced sympathetically at the pain she had to feel by this blow. And she had been so close!

"Sam!", Doctor Jackson next to him called out worried, while Teal'c shot down the Jaffa that had wounded her.

Down in the 'Gate room, the Chief Master Sergeant could suddenly see Colonel O'Neill abandon his weapon. With a few quick steps he hurried over to his 2IC and Harriman briefly wondered, how the man could even know she had gotten hurt. It had to be impossible to hear anything in the chaos unfolding down there…

The Colonel slid down next to her, grabbing her shoulders and turning her towards him. To his relief, Harriman instantly saw that Major Carter was still conscious, her hand holding her shoulder with a pained expression on her face. She motioned something and with a quick movement, Colonel O'Neill reached over her to pull the switch down. The iris slid close over the engaged wormhole and Harriman could hear several _clangs_ reverberate behind the closed iris, telling him that the enemy's backup finally ran into closed doors. For the first time since the unexpected attack, Harriman felt the SGC exhale metaphorically. Now all they had to do was to take out the remaining Jaffa. And this they could do. They had lots of practice, after all.

Harriman took a second, when he had to reload a new mag, to glance down towards the Colonel. He was sitting in front of his injured Major, shielding her with his body. Her good arm was slung over his shoulders, but currently the Colonel had to hold back the Jaffa, firing at them with his Berretta, so they couldn't escape from their hiding point. Harriman could see Colonels Dixon and Reynolds working to free their way over to them and Major Ferretti down a few Jaffa from the other end of the room to help his former CO.

Lastly,_ finally_, complete silence descended in the 'Gate room. SF after SF stormed for the fallen bodies to kick away the staff weapons. Harriman and the team up in the control room all stopped firing at the same time. And the Chief Master Sergeant hadn't even blinked, before Daniel Jackson and Teal'c were gone from the room, heading down to their friends.

Harriman glanced down to the 'Gate room. Colonel O'Neill had hoisted himself to his feet, pulling Major Carter along. She leaned heavily onto him, while he stashed his weapon away. As soon as he had his hands free, he held onto her and then began to half-drag her towards the exit. Sergeant Harriman was seriously astounded. He couldn't help but admire SG-1 anew, while he watched the Colonel ignore every help he was getting offered, only intend to help his 2IC to the infirmary, so she could get patched up. Harriman saw all SG teams on a regular basis and he knew that most of them were tight-knit units, little families even. Still, whenever he watched SG-1, he always had the feeling they were simply _more_. More than family, more than merely in tune with each other. They seemed to be able to foresee the other's actions, appeared to know instinctively what the other would do or need. They trusted each other with their lives, relying on the fact that their friends would rather die themselves than let any harm get to them.

Harriman watched when Doctor Fraiser rushed into the 'Gate room, followed closely by Daniel Jackson and Teal'c. Colonel O'Neill stopped immediately, when the Doc approached them, and cautiously let go of his 2IC. Janet Fraiser didn't even wait for Major Carter to get transported to the infirmary. In the middle of the 'Gate room she began treating her. Major Carter let her proceed exhausted, with the Colonel hovering close by. Doctor Jackson and Teal'c shielded them from the hectic events taking place around them. Harriman saw Fraiser shed Major Carter's protection vest and then cut off the sleeve of her BDU jacket and shirt underneath, revealing a nasty burn wound. When she began treating Major Carter with what seemed to be antiseptic liquid, Harriman saw the steadfast Major sway with the unexpected pain that rushed through her. Immediately, the Colonel had stepped up to her once more and she bumped back into his chest. Unnoticed by all around them, Harriman saw the Colonel put his hands on her waist gently to hold her stable against him. Major Carter let her head fall back against his shoulder, her shaky breathing fanning in and out of her opened mouth. For a second, missed by all but Harriman himself, the Colonel lowered his head almost unnoticeably, pressed his mouth to her ear and whispered something to her. Harriman saw Major Carter nod tightly in response and wondered, what the Colonel could have said.

Fraiser wrapped up the Major's shoulder and when she lastly stepped back, Doctor Jackson instantly jumped forwards. With simultaneous movements, he and the Colonel drew Major Carter's arms around their shoulders, cautious of her injury, and then walked her out of the room, Teal'c taking lead and clearing their way. Harriman turned back for the chaos that had spread in the control room, when SG-1 had finally left the 'Gate room. Looking down on the million sharp glass splinters, the empty mags littering the ground and the innumerable ball linings strewn around, he knew they were safe for now, but they had a lot of cleaning up to do…

Lost in thoughts, Harriman all but jumped in surprise, when he turned and came face-to-face with the General.

"General Hammond!", he said surprised, but caught himself before saying something along the lines of 'I had totally forgotten, you're also still here'.

"Sergeant.", the General acknowledged uncharacteristically still, not taking his eyes off what he was observing in the 'Gate room. Harriman followed the other man's eyes to see what held his interest and noticed that he looked over to the blast doors SG-1 had just disappeared through.

A sinking feeling travelled through the Sergeant's stomach. Had the General witnessed what had just passed between Colonel O'Neill and his 2IC? Oh please no! Harriman had a fleeting suspicion that there was more between the Colonel and Major Carter than there should be considering their work relationship, but the Sergeant was a hundred percent sure, that neither would act on it as long as there were certain regs standing in their way. So he sincerely hoped the General hadn't witnessed something and misunderstood…!

"General…!", he began pleadingly in defense of two of the best officers the SGC had ever seen. "You have to understand! This isn't what it seems…!"

The General looked back at him, a small, secretive smile playing upon his lips. "No words needed, Sergeant.", he assured the other man.

And with this, the General turned and headed for the 'Gate room. And Sergeant Harriman stood dumbfounded, silently berating himself how he could have believed he'd noticed something that the General might have missed. Nothing went past the General!

And if he was okay with this, then Harriman decided, it truly _was_ okay.


	15. Stare

_**Author's note:**__ Big, __**special thanks**__ to all those, who commented on my little rant last time! That was initially intended as an explanation, why I hadn't updated in a while, still all your kind words were a giant reassurance for me and encouraged me to keep going! So, as a little thank-you two chapters at once! They kinda go together anyways…_

_**Around the regs**_

_Chapter Fifteen – Stare_

"Daniel, how long?", Jack asked without bothering with a full sentence.

Sam looked up from where she was sitting on a large, flat rock, letting the sun of P8G-926 wash over her. This planet was nice, she decided. It was relatively small, comfortably warm and utterly deserted. In fact it was so long abandoned that Daniel practically had to dig out the ruins he wanted to study himself, because they had been buried under sand.

And while the dig had at least given them a task, by now they were merely sitting around watching Daniel brush dirt from half-washed out writings lining the walls of the half-rotten temple they had discovered. Teal'c was working with Daniel, both of them trying to recognize the writing and translate it. Jack and Sam had first taken to guarding their team mates, but seeing that there really was no one on the planet but them, they could ease up on the paranoia remarkably.

So Sam had taken to silently declare this a vacation and aside from complying with the Colonel's orders whenever he needed her for something, she was throwing herself into the wonderful sun, intend to roast there like a steak on the grill.

They had set up camp at the border of an enchanting small lake with crystal-clear water and this was the closest Sam had gotten to a vacation in years, so seeing that she didn't have to watch out for Jaffa to shoot their backs this time, she was indulging in this makeshift vacation. Two days ago she had thrown her BDU jacket and her protection vest into her tent and hadn't looked at them since. She had plastered herself with sunscreen and whenever the Colonel tolerated it, she forewent her boots and went around barefoot, relishing in the feeling of the warm sand between her toes. God, she could so get used to this!

Really, Sam mused silently, the only one, who was getting more and more unhappy with the situation, was the Colonel himself. Since the dig he had nothing to do anymore and while he had managed to busy himself with exploration trips the first few days, by now he was bored out of his skull and wasn't holding back on letting everyone else know.

"Don't know, Jack!", Sam heard Daniel answer automatically from where he was buried hip-deep in ruins. From the deeply concentrated look on his face however, Sam feared that the Colonel would either have to conjure up more patience, or order the archaeologist to finish already or they would be going nowhere in the next few days.

"Great.", the Colonel summed up sarcastically, while shooting a quick glance towards her. Sam couldn't see his face, because it was mostly hidden beneath his sunglasses and his cap, but Sam thought he was frowning. Frowning at her? For having fun on this planet? Sam pursed her lips and just for good measure, she skidded down her rock a bit more to reach the edge of the water. There was no shore, where the water gradually sloshed onto the sand, instead they had set camp up at a border, where the ground immediately gave way to the water. The border was rocky but turned into fine sand a few feet away from the water and at the cliff it formed you could instantly jump into water a few dozen feet deep. Daniel had had a few interesting theories to how this could have originated, but Sam had been so far into daydreams of going swimming in this natural pool when she had spotted the tempting crystal-clear water that she hadn't listened to a word. Still, the Colonel had taken one glance at the calm waters and had declared that since they had no means of knowing what could lurk in the depths of these waters, he would ban them all from swimming. Days had passed and Sam hadn't even seen a fish (much to the Colonel's annoyance, who was attempting to pass a bit of time with fishing), but he was still not relenting. Much to Sam's dismay. She really liked swimming. So Sam decided to take a chance. She slid down to the water's edge and rolling up her pants, she let her feet dip into the cool water. Oh, this was heaven, she decided! She let herself fall back onto the warm rock and slowly let her legs push through the water, back and forth, creating small waves.

She distinctly thought to hear the Colonel growl displeased, but decided to ignore it. If he wasn't ordering her out of the water, then she would stay right where she was, thank you very much!

The quiet shuffling of clothes and the crunching of sand beneath heavy feet however told her that he was strolling over to her. He came to stand next to her knees at the water's edge and she knew he was staring down at her. His body blocked out the sun and so she opened her eyes a crack to look up to him lazily.

"You enjoying yourself, Major?", he asked crankily, but Sam wasn't about to let her good mood be ruined by him. Just because he had decided to not like this planet he'd felt neither of them could have fun? Well, though luck, she was content where she was right now and she intended to make the most out of her situation.

"Yes, sir. Very.", she answered with a dazzling smile, before making a point by stretching languidly under his gaze and flicking a bit of water at him with her foot. His eyebrows narrowed over his sunglasses and Sam couldn't help the thought that she was probably playing with fire and about to drive him a bit too far.

"Well, as much as I'd like for you to have your fun…", he began, still sounding thoroughly unamused. "Think you could stay away from the water's edge? I'm not so sure, the border's stable."

Now he really was about to spoil her fun! Sam sat up, her eyes squinting against the bright sunlight to glare up at him. "The border looks fine to me!", she huffed annoyed, trying to not sound as insubordinate as it sounded in her head.

"This could be deluding.", he insisted, while shifting his weight uncomfortably.

So what if it really wasn't stable, she mused. The worst thing that could happen would be that she would get wet!

Sam was about to retort something, when an audible _crack_ rang out around them. Puzzled, she looked around, stunned to silence for a moment, when all of a sudden, a part of the rocky edge broke. Right underneath the Colonel! Sam watched, as shocked as surprised, as the ground gave in and the Colonel dropped into the water, sinking below the surface.

"Sir!", she called out astonished, before swinging her legs out of the water and crawling for the edge.

He emerged from the clear water, his cap now floating next to his shoulder and his sunglasses fallen down onto his chest, secured by the strap that went around his neck. Now he was downright glaring at her, wet as the proverbial poodle, and Sam had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. It wasn't helping however, that she heard the howling sound of Daniel's laughter from afar.

"If you so much as even _giggle_, Major, I'm pullin' you in with me!", he threatened irked, before grabbing his wet cap and throwing it onto the rock next to her.

"I wouldn't even think of it, sir!", Sam lied through her teeth, knowing that he would see through her immediately.

He swam over to her, grabbed the rocky edge and pulled, testing it with his strength to see if it would hold his weight. "I _told_ you it wasn't stable!", he snapped irate.

"Yes, you made your point rather impressively, sir.", she agreed with an innocent smile, when he glowered at her, pissed off.

Then, with a quick movement he hoisted himself onto the rocky edge and pulled out of the water. Rivers of crystal-clear water were running down his lean frame and sloshed over the dry ground. Sam had to gulp reflexively. His clothes now clung to him, accentuating every angle of his body. His brown-silver hair was glued to his head, for once obeying gravity, and drips of water trickled from his nose and his chin. His black BDU t-shirt was pasted to the contours of his chest and his hips and thighs were well visible where his pants stuck to his body.

"Oh, for cryin'…!", he cursed heatedly, before trudging past her. Sam took a second to let her eyes roam down to his six, which were nicely highlighted by his soaked clothes and then followed him, trying hard to suppress the satisfied smile that threatened to overcome her. Still swearing under his breath, the Colonel stomped over to their camp, Sam on his heels. He flopped down on a stone to avoid sitting in the sand with his wet clothes and then glared over to where Daniel was still doubling over in laughter, before obviously choosing to ignore the archaeologist with the clear death wish.

Sam sat opposite the Colonel, by now feeling rather bad for him. "Do you need something…?", she asked humbly, when he proceeded to untie his drenched boots and pull them from his feet. He placed them in the sun to dry, followed by his socks.

"A towel.", he ordered and Sam stood up to retrieve one from the tent he shared with Teal'c.

When she returned, she saw him pull his t-shirt over his head that soon joined his boots to lie in the sun. Sam almost faltered in her step, when she saw him sitting there, topless. Not that she hadn't seen him without a shirt on before, but then it had normally been, because he'd gotten injured and she had to treat the wound. And then, it was usually in a situation where she didn't have the time or the luxury to admire his lean, muscular built. But now she had. And boy, she did!

Rays of sunshine gleamed off the streams of water running down his bare skin and Sam could see tiny white lines, where old scars were engraved here and there into his otherwise unblemished skin, telling stories of his life as a soldier. Sam had to actively remind herself to breathe, when she watched him stretch over to put his shirt onto a dry rock. Her eyes were glued to the muscles working under his tanned skin and inwardly she thanked all heavens for giving this planet to SG-1! Boy would she have missed out if Hammond had appointed another SG team to this mission!

She sat down opposite of him again and silently handed him the towel, hoping he didn't catch up on her blatant staring. Grumbling, he snatched the towel from her and then rid himself from his weapon holsters and utility belt. Sam waited for him to use the towel to dry himself off, but instead he used it to towel the water from his weapons, knives and ammunition. And Sam was left to stare at the water dripping from his trim torso, while he worked on his weapons and fought herself to not sigh out loud at the sight of his muscles tightening and releasing with his task. Holy Hannah, his sight was a serious danger for her blood pressure…

"Well, at least we've established that it's safe to swim 'round here.", he stated, while his fingers routinely disassembled his firearm to let the parts he couldn't wipe dry in the sun.

"Really?", Sam inquired astonished. "That means I get to swim?"

He shot her a quick stare and with an involuntary tremble, Sam thought that he shouldn't be able to look so captivatingly dangerous, when he was sitting there with his hands working on his gun, while glaring at her, half-naked and wet.

Then, slowly, a big, lazy grin spread across his features, causing Sam's blood pressure to spike suddenly. "Well, as long as I get to watch over your... safety, just in case…", he suggested, while letting his eyes roam not-so-discreetly over her body. Sam grinned back, not offended at all. Given that it was him – and no one else – and that she had just done the same to him, it seemed justified.

"Alright.", she replied, before leaning back, catching her weight with her hands and slipping her own sunglasses on to be able to stare at him undetected.

He raised an eyebrow questioningly, when she made no move towards the water. "Lost interest already, Major?", he inquired.

"No, sir.", she denied. But right now, she really had better things to do than waste her time swimming. After all, when did she ever get the chance to ogle her gorgeous CO as much as she wanted…?

"I just thought I'd keep you company until you're finished.", she continued innocently, her eyes roaming over his frame behind her much-blessed sunglasses.

He nodded and shifted, sunlight glinting from his dog tags that swung slightly against his chest with his movements, prompting another grin to appear on Sam's face. Oh yeah, she so wouldn't waste that opportunity!

* * *

_A/N: Because, at least, looking wasn't exactly forbidden for them..._


	16. Heat

_And on with part two._

_Actually one of the first things I have written for SG-1…_

_**Around the regs**_

_Chapter Sixteen - Heat_

"_Stargate Activation!_", Sergeant Harriman called out through the base's PA system routinely the moment Janet Fraiser heard the inner ring of the Stargate behind her begin to circle with the chevrons engaging loudly, while the alarms blared regularly.

With a routinely haste she had mastered in her job, Janet turned for the small team of nurses standing with her. Shooting her loyal and capable fellow workers an encouraging look, she asked, more to ensure herself: "So, we've got everything we need?"

Her eyes travelled over the assembled chaos of stretchers, numerous cooling packs, medication supplies for pain and severe burns, flagons of sunburn treatment lotion, battalions of water bottles, ice packs, cooling blankets and such things.

Head Nurse Captain Brent nodded at her affirming and Janet heaved a deep breath. Behind her the fifth chevron engaged and the obligatory security team raised their weapons habitually.

"Doctor Fraiser?", Nurse Lesley asked. Janet turned and signaled for her to speak, while she checked the equipment for the umpteenth time. Just to make sure, she told herself.

"What exactly are we facing this time?"

Janet exhaled heavily, while the sixth chevron locked. Behind her the security teams made their weapons sharp with resounding clicks.

"Well…", Janet hurried her explanation. "SG-1 called in a few hours ago. They were interrogating some devices, which could be from the Ancients, on P8Z-445. Apparently the planet has a very… unique environment. Major Carter has already called in two days prior to brief us on that. It turns out the ruins of the city they're investigating were in the planet's underground and the planet itself is very close to its sun…"

"_Chevron seven locked!_", Harriman's voice interrupted, while the wormhole kawooshed to life.

Janet continued on with lightning speed, while the heavy iris closed automatically over the event horizon: "The air on P8Z-445 is apparently very hot and humid, coming directly down from the almost inhabitable environment on the planet's surface, and sun radiation is very high. Major Carter still measured about 105° F in the planet's underground, but SG-1 was confident they could complete their task, if they'd be able to avoid direct contact with the sun and remain in the underground…"

"_Receiving ID code!_", Harriman reported, his voice heightened through the speakers. "_It's SG-1!_"

Janet turned towards the gate and finished: "The last report we heard from Dr. Jackson said their situation was turning unbearable, so they decided to film, photograph or bring anything worthwhile an interrogation and examine it here…"

"_Open the iris!_", General Hammond's voice ordered and instantly the large titanium shield slowly slid back from the shimmering event horizon.

"So we could be dealing with everything from heavy burns to heat stroke?", Nurse Lesley asked quietly, while the SF's raised their weapons at the incoming travelers habitually. Janet nodded and then they silently waited for SG-1.

Daniel Jackson was the first one to tumble through the wormhole. Janet sucked in a surprised breath, when she saw the man. He was drenched in sweat, giving his uniform dark, wet spots. His face was red and slightly lined with sunburn, and he was using his hat to fan air to his face. He had his uniform pants rolled up to his knees and his jacket dangled from his backpack. But what had Janet bewildered was the fact that the poor man seemed to _smolder_. Hot air was waving up from him, as if he was seething.

"Oh, thank god!", the archaeologist groaned when hit with the cool air deep down Cheyenne Mountain. He didn't even acknowledge a SF's P90 pointed at him, but made a bee-line for Janet, when he noticed the large canisters filled with water at her side.

"_Please_ tell me that's for us!", he pleaded with her. Janet actually had to take a step back from the man. He was essentially radiating heavily hot, humid air. "Knock yourself out!", she advised and Daniel immediately went to the task.

Janet's attention was ripped from him however when Teal'c stepped through the gate next. Being his stoic self he walked down the ramp composedly to stop in front of General Hammond, who had just entered the room to see Daniel ignore him for water.

"Our mission has been accomplished successfully.", Teal'c reported to the General, but he sounded tired. Beads of sweat were rolling down his face, which was marked with lines of fatigue. It made Janet's alarm bells ring. There wasn't much that got the former First Prime tired, so Janet wasted no time but effectively whisked the large Jaffa away from General Hammond to give him some fluids. Teal'c gulped down two bottles of water without even breathing in between. Janet just handed him another one, while watching nurses Lesley and Brent tending to Daniel. They tried to get Daniel's body temperature down to normal, which apparently didn't prove to be that easy. Daniel was already wrapped tightly in a cooling blanket and packets of ice were dumped on him, but he still complained he was hot. Janet ordered another nurse to take a look at Teal'c and then turned back to the Stargate. Huffing she prepared inwardly for the arrival of the Colonel. If Teal'c and Daniel were already in this state, the Colonel was sure to be in an overly sour mood that would make her job of treating him even more challenging than under normal circumstances.

Tamping down the urge to roll her eyes exasperated Janet could already hear the Colonel complain about being hot, tired, hot, bored, hot and stuck on an inhabitable planet because of his genius teammates obsessions with ruins with said planet being over-the-top… well, hot.

So Janet was more than surprised, when the Colonel appeared out of the wormhole. He was wearing his baseball cap and his sunglasses, and just like Daniel had his jacket strapped to his backpack. He was also carrying several boxes of artifacts they had brought from the planet, undoubtedly being rather heavy. Janet noticed signs of sunburn on his bare arms and dark patches of sweat on his clothes, but the Colonel didn't seem fazed by either. In fact, he was sporting a wide grin and whistled excitedly, while stepping down the ramp with a humored swing to his steps.

"Yo, kids! How's it goin' around here?", he asked in a suspiciously good mood, while dumping the heavy boxes onto the next Airman he reached.

"Colonel…?", Janet asked skeptically, while she stepped up to him with a bottle of water in her hand.

"Yes?", he asked with a smile, while he accepted the water bottle she was handing him.

"Are you… alright?", she inquired, taken completely by surprise by his totally uncharacteristic and unexpected behavior.

"Just peachy!", he said with a large grin, while gulping down the water.

Janet couldn't help the sarcastic remark: "But you were on the same planet as them?", she asked, motioning to the still complaining Daniel and Teal'c who was now holding a cooling pack to his neck.

Jack glanced at them. "What? Oh, yes, yes. Nice, little planet actually. Kinda hot, but hey, we managed!", he exclaimed cheerfully.

"Kinda hot…?", Daniel heaved tiredly from behind them. "That was close to Netu…"

"Oh please, it wasn't all that bad, was it? You got to play with ruins, didn't you?", Jack reminded him.

"Yes, he could. But I'm wondering what left you in such a good mood…", Janet lowered her eyes at him suspiciously.

"Just tryin' to make everyone's life here a bit easier for a change!", the Colonel lied through his teeth.

Janet snorted. The day the Colonel would adjust to make life easier for the medical staff, hell would freeze over, she pondered sarcastically. But she decided to let it go for the while. Turning back towards the Stargate, she asked: "So, where's Major Carter?"

The Colonel came to stand with her at the base of the ramp, shedding his sunglasses while remarking innocently: "Oh, she was right behind me."

And Sam chose exact this moment to step through the wormhole. And Janet nearly choked at the sight of her friend. Another one, whom she hadn't expected to come through the Stargate the way they had, she mused.

Sam had obviously taken a toll under the strenuous weather. Just like Daniel she used her hat to fan cool air into her face, and her shining blonde hair had short strands of it plastered to her face with beads of sweat. Her face was flushed from the heat and the pink color travelled down her neck to disappear in the low collar of the tight black tank top she was wearing. Her jacket hung forgotten on her belt, and her BDU pants had been cut off about mid-thigh in a probably exasperated try to cool herself down. Her long bare legs had a few minor sun burns, as had her arms. Her military boots clanged on the ramp as she trudged down groggily, heading for the Colonel on instinct. For a moment Janet was surprised by the glow Sam seemed to radiate, but then she understood that the poor blonde had practically plastered herself with sunblock to avoid burning to crisp with her pale complexion. It made her fair skin practically shimmer and accentuated the unusual amount of skin the woman was showing.

"Major.", Colonel O'Neill acknowledged her, while handing her two bottles of water.

Sam managed a nod, then uncapped the first bottle and gulped it down without stopping for air once. Janet saw the Colonel watch from the corner of his eyes, his eyes following the long line of her tilt-back neck to the bottle attached to her lips, and had to tamp down a grin. _Now_ she knew where the good mood had its origin…

"So, how're you feeling, Major?", Janet asked professionally, while stepping up to Sam.

"Hot!", Sam exclaimed, while fanning air down her throat with her hat, right into her tank top. Behind her Colonel O'Neill choked on his water.

"I'd imagine…", Janet agreed, while checking Sam's temperature. "High… but not too high.", she concluded.

"Well, given the circumstances, I'd say you all go cool down a bit and then we do your post-mission exam?", Janet asked, looking at General Hammond for confirm.

"Alright!", the Texan drawled. "Debriefing at 1600, Colonel!"

Colonel O'Neill nodded, but still managed to track Sam out of the corner of his eyes, when she wandered over to grab a cooling pack and hold it to her neck. When she sighed contently at the welcome cold, and the substance within the cooling pack began to heat up on her warm skin, sending trickles of condensed water down the column of her neck, Janet was fairly surprised the Colonel managed to contain a blank face.

General Hammond left the Stargate room, followed by the SF's, who were greeting Colonel O'Neill in passing by clasping their hands on his shoulder. Janet ushered her nurses from the room, ordering them to take Dr. Jackson right with them, who still looked dangerously red in the face even with the cooling blankets and packets of ice attached to him. Teal'c made to follow them without saying anything, and Janet let him.

Taking a look around the room, observing her nurses collecting the equipment they had brought, Janet noticed Jack and Sam. The Colonel was stripping himself from all weapons, handing them to a nearby Airman, while Sam made short work of another water bottle. Then, without asking, the Colonel stepped towards her and effectively ripped her from all her weapons. Sam didn't protest, but merely let him do as he pleased. Somehow, Janet found, this simple, inconspicuous action spoke volumes about the trust and the relationship between the two fellow Air Force soldiers.

"So, Major, what'd you say to a nice cold shower?", Jack asked, when he had handed her weapons over to the already quite packed Airman.

"Heaven…!", Sam sighed dramatically. "Lead the way."

"I couldn't possibly.", the Colonel smiled. "Ladies first."

Having no energy left for arguing, Sam simply passed him and went for the door. Janet could clearly see the Colonel giving Sam's retreating form a quick once-over, lingering for a moment on her cut-offs, before a silent smile crept onto his face. Janet wanted to roll her eyes at his antics. She followed them out into the hall to the elevator, intent to return to the infirmary.

"Ah, by the way, Carter…", Jack began innocently.

"Hm?", Sam replied tiredly.

"What do you intend to do with those pants of yours…?", he asked, not quite looking at his 2IC.

Sam didn't seem to pick up on it. "They're ruined, sir! I'll have to throw them away."

Janet wasn't surprised, when she heard the Colonel mutter under his breath: "Shame…"

* * *

_Little random note: 'Memory' has now successfully made it onto my List of Next Projects. Hopefully, I'll be able to work that out soon…_


	17. Imagination

_**Author's note:**__ As usual, many thanks to all reviewers and followers!_

_And, just a little heads-up, this chapter is M-RATED. Probably the most m-rated thing I have written until now._

_**Around the regs**_

_Chapter Seventeen - Imagination_

"Carter!", his voice shouted irately, cutting through the comforting silence that reigned in her lab.

Sam all but jumped, managing in the last second to not drop something precious and irreplaceable. When she looked up, he strode into her lab with a positively glaring stare directed her way and she chose to put the alien thingy she was working at to a safe distance. And, thinking of it, she hastily stashed her laptop out of the way, too.

Swirling back around to him, she tried her best to look innocent. "Yes, sir?"

He made her lab's door shut behind him with a hard, edgy movement and Sam couldn't help the unintentional wince that escaped her lips. His mood was downright dangerous and Sam feared for her equipment. Whatever he would get his hands on would undoubtedly break. So she hurried to meet him half-way, intercepting him, before he could reach her work bench.

He stepped up to her, anger shining from his face clearly visible. "I was under the impression I _ordered_ you to leave!", he snarled.

Sam almost winced again. She had really hoped, he'd be gone by now and wouldn't have noticed that she had _forgotten_ to follow his order.

"Sir, I was actually…", she began, but he wouldn't give her the time to talk herself out of it.

"Were you or were you _not_ going to follow the orders given to you by a superior officer?", he growled heatedly, his eyes daring her to lie.

She gulped. Normally she had much leeway with him, but apparently she had just overstepped his patience's boundaries. Now she could only do damage control, she figured. "I wasn't.", she admitted, offering a shy smile to see if it would placate him.

But he wasn't swayed that easily. "Care to tell me, why?", he prompted, glowering down at her.

Now Sam felt herself tense. She really didn't want to discuss this with him! Clenching her teeth in a visible way, she crossed her arms in front of her chest and remained silent. For a moment, they stood opposite each other, only an inch or two apart, trying to stare the other down.

"Carter…!", he warned. "As far as I remember, I ordered the whole team to take downtime and get the hell out of this Mountain, and, believe it or not, you _do_ belong to my team!"

Sam heard the accusation swinging with his words. She, the only military member of their team that he _could_ actually order around, was defying him. And not for the first time, either. "I'm sorry, sir.", she said.

He nodded. "Then get your things and _go home_.", he challenged.

Again, she tensed. "Um, sir, I would rather…", she began, but instantly, he rounded in on her once more.

"For cryin' out loud, Carter, am I not making myself clear here?", he barked. "Do you know the concept of a vacation?! It's supposed to make people recover from stress and work! And it's actually _away_ from work! So leave the damn Mountain for once and enjoy your vacation!"

And yes, as pathetic as it was, this was the exact reason, why she didn't want to go. It was a _vacation_. She knew that, with the hard missions SG-1 had behind them in the last time, the whole team was in need of a little bit of time-out, but only thinking about of how she would be spending this time, was just so miserable that Sam attempted to block any thought of that. What should she do the whole day long? Sit on her couch and watch TV? Clean her house? Work on her bike? She would be bored after two days, she knew. She would go crazy! Really, she would spend her time more productive if she would stay at the Mountain and work at the backload of projects she had accumulated!

"No, sir.", she whispered sadly.

"_No, sir?_", he echoed, fury now evident in his voice.

She looked up at him hesitantly, but rebelliously. "I could leave the Mountain, but I won't be enjoying anything!"

His eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Why not? Doesn't everybody enjoy a vacation?"

She straightened, if only to not feel so pathetic. "Alone, sir?", she admitted through gritted teeth, angry that he had made her spill her problem.

"What do you mean, alone?", he asked, observing her closely.

Sam felt her fist clench involuntarily. Oh, as if he didn't know…! He wasn't that stupid and she knew it!

"Well, with whom should I spend the weeks?", she shot back. "Daniel's on some archaeology conference, Teal'c's off-world to visit his son and Mark has gone somewhere with his family!"

Sam wisely chose to leave the Colonel out of the equation. Normally, SG-1 spent much of their downtime together and Sam had always felt more relaxed in their presence than she had felt all alone in the calm of her house. But this time, everything was different. Teal'c and Daniel had made plans on their own and Sam guessed the Colonel was headed for his cabin in Minnesota, leaving her back all alone. And he dared to pretend he hadn't noticed!

The Colonel looked at her, calculating. "Come with me, then.", he said, completely unexpected.

Sam spluttered. He… she… _what_?! He hadn't suggested that, had he? That went against every unspoken rule they had set up between them!

"Come with you…?", she echoed, completely surprised.

He nodded. "I'm going to spend the two weeks at this lovely little cabin surrounded by woods and–"

"Sir…!", she interrupted, gasping, totally at a loss, what she should say to that.

"No?", he asked, his face still unreadable.

"No!", she confirmed hurriedly. _Of course not!_

"Problem?", he inquired, raising an eyebrow sarcastically.

For a moment, Sam thought he was still angry with her and this was a twisted way of payback. If this was, however, she wouldn't be held responsible for anything she did to him…!

"Sir… we don't do this!", she ground out annoyed. "Ever."

"We have spent downtime together before, haven't we?", he said.

"Yes, but with the _whole team_.", she explained emphasized.

He scoffed at her, snarling: "I don't bite, Carter."

Unfortunately, she thought secretly, before chastising herself. Not the problem right now.

He stepped up to her, invading her personal space in the best way imaginable. "Maybe it's time we finally got to do it…", he murmured.

Sam tried to prevent her mind from jumping to a conclusion he surely hadn't meant to imply, while inhaling deeply, only to notice that this brought her chest into more contact with his than was probably allowed. His eyes snapped down to her moving torso and then back up to her eyes, a dangerous spark lighting up in his suddenly very dark eyes. Sam felt her breathing speed up instantly, as well as her pulse.

God, what were they doing? They were getting closer than they had ever allowed themselves to be on base! And the security cameras would record everything! Being on downtime or not, every inch they would stand too close would still be court-martialed!

"So… _no_?", he insisted, not relenting.

By now, Sam desperately wanted to punch something. It really wasn't fair of him to dangle the metaphorical carrot in front of her eyes, only to trust on her to be the reasonable one that would decline.

"Sir, as much as I _appreciate_ your efforts to get me out of the Mountain, I still think the excuse 'Well, we've been on downtime' wouldn't hold in a _court-martial_.", she hissed back.

Now his dark eyes positively glared at her and when he spoke, his voice was an angered whisper: "Carter, what exactly do you think I'm tryin' to achieve here?"

Sam let her fists fall back to her sides, her wrists slightly shaking with the pressure she put them under. "Well, from an outside point of view it has to look like you're trying to persuade your 2IC to go home… _with you_.", she explained, mock-patiently.

He made a hasty, unexpected step forwards and, taken by surprise, Sam retreated a step only to bump into her work bench behind her. Trapped. Great.

"You really think that?", he inquired, dark, dangerous eyes boring into her.

She glared back, determined to not back down from him. "Well, what am I supposed to think?", she shot back.

He raised an eyebrow sarcastically. "How about an invitation from a friend?", he suggested in a voice that made her feel lectured immediately.

"Oh?", she answered angrily. "Then I guess, the frat regs have been altered or completely disappeared and I haven't gotten the memo…?"

He rolled his eyes, succeeding in irking her even more. "Carter, you really make it more complicated than it is."

_Now_, Sam was positively furious. "I…? _I_ make it complicated?! How dare you…!"

She didn't even know what to say. She was so, _so_ close to punching him that only the thought that all her efforts of currently trying to avoid a court-martial would be very effectively ruined, if she managed to get written up for physically attacking a superior officer. In, in the Colonel's case, even the whole wrong way…

The Colonel unfolded his crossed arms and, after running a hand through his hair, which made it sticking out in a ridiculously attractive way, placed them on either side of her on her work bench, effectively trapping her in between his body. Again, Sam could feel her body temperature react to his close proximity, but she held onto her anger. No way was he seducing his way out of that one!

"Carter!", he sighed, angry eyes firmly trained on her. "The question's not, if it's possible or if it's allowed! The question is, if you _want_ it!"

Oh, wrong! So _wrong_! With their jobs and their positions, it was always the first question, whether or not they were _allowed_!

She opened her mouth to shoot something back to put him in his place. Apparently, he saw it coming, because his eyes narrowed in an exasperated manner that told her, he'd finally run out of patience with her. Sam braced herself for another round of arguing, one that was undoubtedly going to become even more unpleasant. Really, she couldn't remember the last time she'd fought like this with the Colonel…!

Then suddenly, and completely unexpected, he was on her, pressing himself against her, his lips descending on hers. Sam gasped, surprised by the unanticipated approach. For a tiny moment her brain failed to catch up with him and she let herself enjoy the kiss. But then her anger kicked in tenfold. If he thought, he could win her over with these cheap methods…!

She shoved against his chest, only to find him not moving an inch and herself shiver, when she felt the firm muscles of his chest under her fingers. Great. Her body was changing sides to conspire with the enemy. Traitor!

His hands clamped around her jaw, tilting her head, while his mouth moved over hers. Sam really, really tried to stay angry with him, but she felt herself losing ground rapidly. God, did he _have_ to be so good at this?! How was a woman supposed to stay mad at him like that…?

He drew back the slightest bit and they both exhaled in desperate need for air. Panting, Sam realized that now would be her chance to escape him – if she wanted to –, but again, he was faster. Once again, he closed in on her and this time, with her mouth still opened, he didn't hesitate a second and slipped his tongue in. _Holy Hannah_…!

Sam was vaguely aware that her rational mind was still going on about her being angry… about something… and the regulations… and… _Was she kissing him back?_

Oh yes, she was, she suddenly realized. Their lips were moving in sync, short puffs of air escaping into the other's mouth, their tongues dueling with each other. His scent, his typical scent of woods, his BDUs detergent, leather and pure Jack, began seeping over to her, completely overwhelming her. Her hands reached up, her arms going around his neck and her fingers tangling in his short strands of hair. He rumbled appreciative and Sam only held on to him even tighter.

Then, his hands left her jaw and ran down her throat to skip down her shoulders and brush along her sides. Sam felt goosebumps erupt, wherever he touched her and try as she might, she couldn't hold back a moan. She felt him smile against her lips, effectively breaking their kiss. Gasping, Sam opened her eyes, blinking rapidly. Somehow, everything was spinning around her…

Meanwhile, the Colonel didn't lose any time and went for her neck, trailing kisses all over the skin from her collarbone to her ear. Sam shivered, when he passed a sensitive patch of skin below her ear and immediately, he went back for the discovered spot, his teeth lightly scratching over her skin in a sensual way. Sam clung to him, one of her hands fisting in the BDU shirt over his back, while the other tangled in his hair. He stepped nearer, closing whatever distance had still been between them and Sam felt his whole body press against hers. She could feel his muscles working against her and quietly reveled in the strength he possessed.

Then, rather uncomfortably, something digging into her lower back brought her back to reality. The work bench! From her lab. In Cheyenne Mountain! Holy…! For a moment, she lost her momentum, all thoughts of regulations crashing down on her once more. She really, really should stop things, _now_, before they would seriously get out of hand!

And, of course, he chose this exact moment, to slip his fingers into the waistband of her BDU pants, pull out her shirt and caress her back with one hand that disappeared under her shirt, while the other still pressed her against him. Oh for the love of…! Sam threw her head back, gasping, and her eyes closed once more, while at the same time, her pulse sped through the roof. His mouth returned to hers for a decidedly hot, passionate, open-mouthed kiss that left a telltale tingle race through her body, heating it up. Simultaneously, his large hand and his rough fingers ran up and down her back, the feel of direct skin-to-skin contact all but overwhelming her.

Oh, to hell with regulations! To hell with all surveillance cameras that would record everything! To hell with all her qualms! Enough was enough! She was only human, too!  
And if she would be court-martialed over this – no, wrong, _when_ she would be court-martialed over this – she wouldn't regret a damn thing!

So, deciding to go with the flow – and thoroughly enjoying herself – Sam made quick work of pulling his shirt from his pants and shoving it up to bunch under his shoulders. Almost sighing with the vision she was presented with, and had dreamed off uncountable times, she let her fingers run over his pecs and abs, relishing in the fact that his muscles trembled under her caress.

His mouth left hers and he leaned his forehead against hers, smirking satisfied. "So… you _want_ it?", he questioned smugly.

Sam was having distinct trouble breathing, her chest heaving with the heavy gulps of air she sucked in, so getting words out was kinda difficult…

"Rhetorical… question?", she gasped breathless.

He grinned widely, proud. "Oh yeah…!", he confirmed, before he was on her, again.

His hand slipped out from under her shirt and Sam immediately missed the contact, but then, with a swift movement, he had her shirt thrown over her head, leaving her standing in her black sports bra. His own shirt followed immediately after, discarded somewhere on the floor, just like hers. As soon as the offending garment was out of the way, he was kissing her again. Short, but deep contacts, with an occasional brush of his tongue. His hands skimmed over her exposed skin, acquainting himself with her body. By now Sam was panting heavily with her blood rushing in her ears. His close proximity, the way he touched her body and her explores of his were an intoxicating combination that rushed straight to her head.

Jack's hands wandered down, over her lower back and then clasped onto her six. Sam moaned out loud, when his fingers dug into her BDU-covered flesh and he pulled her up to him. With a skillful move he lifted her up and in an automatic reaction, Sam threw her legs around his waist, pulling him tightly against her, now feeling his unmistakable arousal for her. It only served to heighten her own desire with a mighty, powerful feeling dancing through her overloaded body. He stepped forwards and now Sam felt her work bench poke into her six, together with his hands. One of his hands left her behind and wandered to her head, holding it gently, and then he bent her over, placing her on her work bench, all the while his mouth never left hers. The new position left a certain part of his anatomy brush hers and Sam felt shivers erupt all over her body.

He broke their kiss, but stayed close, so that his lips still moved along hers, when he breathed out: "Sam…!"

Finally hearing her first name from him was making it instantly more intimate and close. She held onto his shoulders, one of her legs moving up and down the back of his thigh, when she answered: "Jack."

His hand moved from her six over her thigh and then back down to her stomach. His eyes never left hers, while he pushed his hand under her bra and then shoved the garment up, over her head and out of the way. Sam arched into his touch, which resulted in her chest getting pressed up against the hard planes of his upper torso, his sparse chest hair scratching over her sensitive skin, making her shiver against him. Immediately the arm with which he held himself above her went around her back, trapping her against him.

"Do you know, for how _long_ I've wanted to do that…?", he asked, burying his head in the crook between her neck and her shoulder, placing soft butterfly kisses on her heated skin, while his fingers skipped playfully over the newly exposed skin.

She chuckled and ran her hands over the taut muscles on his back down to his six, squeezing. "As long as I did?"

He laughed quietly against her skin, before getting up to look into her eyes, of course without removing an inch of his torso that was pressed against hers. "Really?", he grinned. "You wanted to bend me over the briefing table in front of Hammond and all those Pentagon lackeys?"

She looked at him, astonished. "Really?", she asked.

He snorted, while his free hand roamed down to circle her stomach. She gasped, when he played with her skin, and her eyes fell close again, but she still heard him crystal-clear, when he said: "Maybe not quite, but close. _Very_ close."

Wow, she hadn't known! She had known that she had been attracted to him from the very start, she had noticed, when she had come to fall in love with him and she had realized somewhere down the road that he was reciprocating her feelings. But to know that he had felt their connection right from the start was warming her heart in indescribable ways.

Sam reacted instinctively. She grabbed onto his jaw and drew him up to her, her tongue immediately invading his mouth, while her legs pulled him intimately against her, making them both groan. And he reacted in an equally instinctive manner, when his hips began rocking against her slightly. Her uninhibited moan was swallowed by him and she nearly jumped through the roof, when his fingers began working on her pants' button. In result, a telling wet warmth began spreading between her legs. Oh yes, there really was no question anymore, if she wanted that! She had probably never wanted anything more in her life!

"Just so we're clear…", he said, while pulling down her zipper. "We're still spendin' that vacation together. Well, afterwards."

She nodded her consent, unable to form coherent sentences.

And then his tongue descended on her skin, working his way down from her throat, while one of his large hands disappeared into her pants, and Sam all but forget about her surroundings, the surveillance cameras, their argument, their positions, the regulations standing in their way and everything else…

SJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJ

"Colonel O'Neill?"

"Doctor Jackson?"

"Major Carter?"

Sam groaned and blinked her eyes owlishly.

"Sam!", a familiar voice exclaimed and then Janet's face appeared before her face.

"Whut…?", she slurred, feeling all but drugged.

"It's working, Kemp! Keep going!", Janet instructed, waving at someone Sam couldn't see in the background.

Then Sam felt something shift and, to her astonishment, she felt the ground under her cool off, leaving her slightly shivering.

An audible groan filtered over to her from somewhere.

Janet glanced over quickly, but turned back to Sam. "How do you feel?"

"Uh…", was all Sam managed to answer.

Janet nodded in understanding, as if it had been actual words. "Think you can stand up?"

Sam bobbed her head in agreement, although she didn't have the slightest idea, if she felt up to that task. Her body felt immensely out of it.

Janet stood up and Sam noticed that she was in full combat uniform. The CMO held out a hand and Sam let herself get pulled to her feet. Immediately, she started swaying as if she was drunk and another figure stepped up to them to help Janet. Airman Dwight, a young, but loyal officer slung her arm around his shoulders to relieve Janet of her weight and much to her dismay Sam realized that she had to lean onto him with her whole weight, unable to support herself. Janet started examining her, poking and prodding her, and Sam felt her whole body shiver uncomfortably. Something really felt wrong.

"Wha… happened?", she asked slowly.

"You tell me.", Janet said with a raised eyebrow. "Teal'c dialed back to Earth, stating that you, the Colonel and Doctor Jackson had lost consciousness after looking at some alien technology. General Hammond sent me here together with SG-15, but we needed a while to get you all detached, before I could examine you. Somehow, the device was connected to the floor and…"

Sam tuned out. Upon hearing that her friends had been infected by this mysterious alien device too, Sam craned her neck to look out for them. She distinctly remembered Daniel calling out to her to have a look at something _fascinating_ he had found and she also recalled the Colonel trailing after her, but after that? Everything was kinda blurred.

Sam's eyes fell onto the padded ground she had lain on earlier. Next to where they must have picked her up off the ground, laid the Colonel. His knees were bent with his feet planted firmly on the ground, his legs stuck up and one of his hands scrubbed over his face, telling her he was conscious. Major Pierce was kneeling next to him, talking to him in hushed tones. A little further away, but still on the strange padded underground lay Daniel, still unconscious from what Sam could make out. Lieutenant Aston was trying to shake him awake unsuccessful and Teal'c hovered behind him, looking down at the unmoving archaeologist.

Dr. Kemp, SG-15's scientist stepped up to Sam, while Janet continued her examination unperturbed. "Major Carter!", he said, slightly confused. "How did you manage to shut off the device? All I managed was to find out that it was some kind of amusement device, which stimulates certain hallucinations in the user, but whatever I did, you wouldn't come back to. But then you were suddenly regaining consciousness…"

Sam felt slow and sluggish, trying to work through Dr. Kemp's words, while watching Major Pierce pull the Colonel to his feet. The Colonel was also staggering, but in contrast to her, he managed to stay on his own feet without help.

"Hallucinations…?", Sam echoed bewildered, while her eyes followed the Colonel's every movement, when he walked up to them.

And Daniel chose this exact moment to come to. "Teal'c…?", he groaned groggily.

"Daniel Jackson.", the large Jaffa acknowledged. "It is most alleviating to see you unharmed."

Then Teal'c and Lieutenant Aston pulled him to his feet and seeing that he was swaying as bad as Sam had done, they dragged him over to Janet, who had started examinations on the Colonel.

"Where are we? What happened?", Daniel asked confused.

"Good question.", Jack agreed with a slight flinch, when Janet shone her infamous flashlight into his eyes.

"From what Doctor Kemp has deduced, you were all captured in an alien device that works as an interface to the brain to create an illusion for the purpose of entertainment.", Teal'c explained patiently.

"So this shiny thingy lets you see, whatever you want…?", Colonel O'Neill inquired, when Janet moved on to Daniel. As soon as he was cleared, the Colonel stepped up to Dwight and motioned that he would take over. Sam gladly took him up on his offer and slung her arm around his shoulders, while he steadied her with an arm around her waist. Now quite literally hanging off him with her whole weight, while Dwight took to carrying Janet's equipment, Sam felt she could take her time with recuperating…

"Well, you would know better than we do. After all, you were stuck in them for hours.", Kemp shrugged in answer to the Colonel's question.

Daniel groaned. "That actually explains, why I suddenly have memories of the archaeological community acknowledging my studies…"

"Hm, then maybe this thing lets you see your deepest wishes?", Airman Dwight asked innocently.

"But it felt so _real!_", Daniel mused out loud, puzzled.

"Well, that seems to be the purpose of this alien machine.", Kemp answered. "It stimulates _all_ human senses, so you actually _feel_ as if you'd really experienced your fantasy…"

Suddenly, Sam felt very, _very_ uncomfortable. Being in this close proximity to the Colonel, she all of a sudden remembered very _vividly_ what she had been hallucinating about…

In an automatic reaction she felt her body temperature rise, warming her up, and she wriggled slightly in an effort to relieve some of her discomfort. Her mouth was getting dry, when her brain finally caught up and supplied her with the knowledge of why exactly the device had shut off…! Sam ducked her head, when she felt a full-blown blush spread over her face. Obviously, seeing at which… _peak_… she had come to, the device seemed to shut off automatically, when the fantasy was… _fulfilled_. Oh, this _so_ was a conclusion she would keep to herself!

In the background, Sam heard Daniel speculate with Kemp about the device, but she wisely kept out of it. For once, she didn't felt the slightest need to offer her knowledge…

Inhaling deeply, she steeled herself and chanced a quick glance over to the Colonel. An amused grin was playing upon his lips, and he was watching her, too.

"So, _Sam_…", he whispered and she couldn't help but shiver slightly at his use of her first name. "Your work bench, huh?"

Now Sam was positively speechless. Her… what?! How could he…? Why did he…? Oh please, don't tell her…!

"You had the same dream?!", she hissed incredulously.

"Nope. More like being in the same hallucination you were in.", he supplied innocently.

Oh… _god!_ And this time not in the good sense! "Then… you saw? Everything? And…", she trailed off, suddenly wishing for a hole to appear, where she could vanish into.

"_Felt_ everything. _Did_ everything. _Experienced_ everything. Yup.", the Colonel provided with a shit-eating grin.

Sam tried to extract herself from him, but stubbornly he held onto her, not letting her escape from him.

"How's that even possible?", Sam's brain raced.

The Colonel grinned at her softly. "Deepest wishes.", was all he said.

And with this said, Sam suddenly relaxed, feeling her calm come back. They had lived out what they were denied in real life and clearly they both had been on board, more than willing to use this opportunity.

"So… the work bench?", Jack repeated.

She smiled up at him. "Fantasy of mine that we make out in my lab.", she revealed.

He chuckled quietly. "Oh, Carter, we so did more than simply make out."

Yeah, she _had_ been present.

"I wonder, why it was my fantasy, though, when we were clearly both involved…", she pondered.

"Well, that's because I give a damn about the place, as long as I can have you to myself.", he admitted.

"Oh.", she said eloquently, blushing again.

"So in case I ever feel the need to explore that work bench fantasy of yours…", he continued, waggling his eyebrows at her. "Do I _have_ to make you angry with me first?"

Sam couldn't help but burst out in laughter at that. "No, sir.", she said chuckling. "You wouldn't have to."

* * *

_A/N: Phew, first time I have written anything like that…! I hope it turned out at least half-way decent._


	18. Opportunity

_**Author's Note:**__ As always, thank you all for your support!_

_**Around the regs**_

_Chapter Eighteen: Opportunity_

Jack scowled at the monitor in front of him in so perceptible annoyance that he could see the image of his lovely 2IC the MALP projected back to the SGC wince over the small distance of half a galaxy. That, and the fact that Walter beside him tensed noticeably, although the loyal Sergeant would never say a thing, told him that he was going overboard, but he couldn't help it.

"Repeat that, Carter.", he ordered, for once not masking his irritation in the favor of his innocent second. Even if she wasn't to blame for the whole situation.

"_Sir, as I said, Daniel is stuck in a trap we've run into in the ruins we've discovered here on–_", she began and he had to give her credit that her voice didn't even falter when presented with his fair rage. Well, maybe it did help that she was several billion miles away.

He did an impatient, edgy move with his hand and she stopped immediately. "And what, for cryin' out loud, do you need _me_ for, exactly?", he inquired icily.

Carter squared her shoulders and Jack was acutely aware of a few not-so-pleased stares boring into his back at the treatment he was giving her. Carter and her wonderful, ever-growing fan-club…! He was tempted to roll his eyes exasperated.

"_Daniel has found out that the ruins we were investigating are from the Ancients, so actually, we can't get Daniel out of the trap. We don't have the ATA gene to open the doors and we aren't able to break open the walls surrounding him…_", she explained into his thoughts, before trailing off, looking at something out of his line of vision, probably diverting her attention to Teal'c for a moment.

Great, Jack thought. Trust Space-monkey to go on another planet and let himself fall into the only Teal'c- _and_ Carter-proof trap, when Jack wasn't with them to get his sorry ass out of it! By now Jack downright glowered at the monitor showing SG-1's gorgeous Major, who was doing her best to endure him.

"So, do I get this right, Major…?", he drawled. "You need me to come over to get Danny-boy out of a mess he himself is responsible for?"

"_Yes, sir._", she confirmed, foregoing his sarcastic remarks. "_Because, after all, you are the only one on base with the ATA gene._"

Yeah, as if he'd forgotten.

"Carter, Hammond's just out of the door for about eight hours! And you know that I'm appointed the temporary leader of this base, which was why I couldn't accompany you to P-_whatever_ in the first place, so what makes you think I could just leave the desk I'm chained to to gate-travel over to your pesky resort _now_?"

At this she raised a delicate eyebrow and instantly he managed to feel guilty. He really shouldn't dump his annoyance at her. She knew as well as he himself that General Hammond had been called to an impromptu meeting at the Pentagon concerning the latest Stargate mishap, and he had been left here to run the mill, while the General was in Washington to smooth the crashing waters. And the only reason why he had let his team go to a far-away, alien planet without him in the first place had been the fact that Daniel had sworn it was safe – only for the archaeologist himself to screw it up! And now his team was stuck in a tight spot and he had to watch a desk. He wanted nothing more than to tell Harriman to dial up the planet, so he could come to his friend's help, knowing he couldn't. He knew as well as she did. The fact that she still had called back in told him the situation had to be critical or Carter expected it to turn critical soon…

If he would get his hands on Space-monkey, then so help him god…!

Jack gritted his teeth, going through his options in his head. "Can't Space-monkey sit this out until Hammond returns tomorrow?", he asked his 2IC.

"_I don't know, sir._", she answered. "_For now the trap seems to lie dormant, but I'm unsure how long this will last. I sincerely doubt that they'd built a trap for an enemy that wouldn't cause any kind of lasting damage…_"

She was right, of course. Why bother to set up a trap if you didn't intend to seriously hurt your enemy to stop him from reaching whatever you wanted to protect in the first place? God bless Danny and his impeccable luck!

Jack reached up and rubbed his temple. Sighing, he concluded that he really had no choice and then he turned for Harriman, commanding: "Walter, get Colonel Reynolds on base and SG-2 geared up."

"Sir?", the Chief Master Sergeant asked stunned, while Carter's face all but lit up. She smiled at him thankfully and he felt himself give at seeing her expression. Damn her and her influence on him! Not that he'd ever admit out loud she had any influence on him! He had a reputation to lose.

He looked back to her, when he announced, quite irate: "I'll have to go and dig out my archaeologist!"

Oh, Daniel so owed him!

SJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJ

It was late afternoon, but luckily still the same day, when Carter dialed them back to Earth, Jack realized. He'd managed to gate to P-_whatever_ with SG-2's backup, track down Carter and Teal'c, get Daniel out of his mess – alive and unharmed, but with a decidedly guilty conscience –, chew out the good archaeologist thoroughly, deny Carter any and all possibilities to stay and continue research – he'd give this mission to SG-6, when they'd returned – and herd his teams back to the Stargate in a little less than five hours. Man, was he good!

He'd be back before General Hammond and could relieve Reynolds from his temporary leadership to return the poor man to his well-deserved downtime.

The Stargate kawooshed to life and after sending through their identification code, Jack strode forwards, motioning for the teams to follow him and then, one after the other, they walked into the event horizon.

With the usual _clang_ Jack landed on the ramp before the Stargate and slowly, he walked down, making room for the others that would follow. Immediately, Jack became suspicious. On the first glance, everything was going regularly. The alarms blared loudly and the klaxons' red lights competed with the blue shimmering coming from the engaged wormhole, bathing the 'Gate room in colors. But that was about the only thing Jack could make out that was as it should be. The 'Gate room was deserted. Not one SF stood anywhere, not one gun was pointed at their chests. The Browning M2HB machine guns were unmanned, resting dormant.

The wormhole disengaged behind him and hesitant footsteps followed him down the ramp.

"Um… where's the welcoming committee?", Daniel asked insecure.

"Watch out!", Jack ordered tense and immediately he heard the safeties getting switched off on his teams defense weapons. A familiar tingling feeling in his back told him that Carter had taken position directly behind him, guarding his back, while he raised his P90 to eye level, slowly advancing forwards. From the corner of his eyes, he saw Ferretti's men swarm out to cover the corners and the doors, and heard Teal'c's staff weapon crackle to life.

"The iris isn't closing.", Daniel reported from way behind.

Rustling behind him indicated Carter turned for their archaeologist and then she answered: "Well, that would be, because the control room isn't manned."

Jack looked up briefly and found she was right. There was no one in the control room. So probably the iris had been open all along. Which was good or they would have been dead by now, crashed by the unyielding titanium barrier, but then again, it was a bad, bad sign.

Jack strode towards the blast door and swiped his key card through to open it. With military, practiced movements he scanned the corridor for any signs of life, but it was utterly deserted. Then he motioned his teams forwards. Ferretti and his second, Penhall, pushed past him and took guarding positions in the corridor, weapons at the ready. When Ferretti gave him the go-sign, Jack nodded and with Carter behind him, he jogged for the stairs leading to the control room. They stopped together at the bottom of the stairs and being the superior officer, Jack once more cleared the way. Seeing that there was no impending danger, the Colonel stood back to give backup for Carter and Lieutenant Sands from SG-2, who swiftly climbed the stairs one after the other. Jack saw Carter crouch down at the top of the stairs and her weapon sway around, while she checked the control room. Jack nodded to the rest of his team, when she gave the all-clear sign and then rushed up the stairs, trusting Ferretti and Teal'c to follow with the rest of the teams. Cautiously, Jack entered the control room with Carter and Sands covering him from their positions. At the bottom of the stairs, Jack heard Ferretti herd the rest of the teams forwards and then, lastly, Teal'c's heavy footsteps on the stairs. He waited for Ferretti and Teal'c to join them in the control room and together they made their way up the stairs to the briefing room and General Hammond's office. They did a quick check, but aside from the fact that there was no one there keeping an eye on anything, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. When Jack jumped down the stairs again, taking two steps at a time, he saw Carter and Daniel hack away at the computer's keyboards, Sergeant Bell and Lieutenant Sands of SG-2 keeping an alert eye out for them, while Penhall watched the stairs.

"Carter?", he asked, when he stepped up to his team's geniuses.

She was worrying her lower lip, while switching through various information windows so fast he was getting a headache from watching.

"Sir, from what I can tell, all operations were going smoothly until an hour before we returned.", she reported. "Sergeant Harriman has noted down the scheduled arrive of SG-14 back from PJK-212. They brought an alien artifact with them and Colonel Reynolds ordered it to be brought to the labs for further examination. And this is where everything stops. No entries anymore. I'd say the control room was unmanned from that point of time onwards, because the iris was still open, when we arrived."

Jack's eyes narrowed at what she declared and he exchanged a quick glance with Ferretti, both their black-ops-senses triggered.

"Close the iris and get the security cameras on display.", he ordered and his 2IC complied instantly. Jack let his eyes skip over the pictures he was presented with routinely. All security checkpoints at the surface and at the crucial levels were manned and looked to be running smoothly. Good. But the second security room on level 16 was empty.

Jack thought the situation through. The control rooms couldn't be unmanned for a long time, or the surface security checkpoints would have caught on already and would have assumed a foothold situation. All security checkpoints and control rooms did regular check-ins, it was SOP. So the fact that they still had control over all the systems and the Special Forces weren't breathing down their necks already told Jack that the surface hadn't picked up on their situation yet. Whatever their situation was, anyways. But if they wanted to solve it, they had to do it fast, because it wouldn't take long anymore, before anyone would try to reach them and fail, setting a chain of events in action Jack wasn't sure was needed.

"Infirmary is empty.", Daniel narrated for the assembled group. "As well as the gym, the locker rooms and the showers."

"All systems operational, sir.", Carter cut in, checking diagnostics on her monitor. "No security breaches detected. But the armories aren't guarded anymore. Shall I close them down?"

Jack shook his head. "No, we might need the ammo later."

"Did we have any _special_ guests?", Ferretti asked next to Jack.

Carter pulled up the information on the prison- and holding cells. "No.", she answered shortly. Jack and Ferretti nodded pleased. One factor less they had to worry about.

"Jack, a few of the cameras seem to malfunction.", Daniel said.

Jack looked up and followed Daniel's pointing finger. Indeed, the archaeologist was right. A few surveillance cameras seemed to show nothing but black-white flickering. Carter scrunched up her face irritated and then went on working to get them back on track. To her visible dismay, however, the cameras remained useless and two or three even followed their example and quit the service.

"Carter?", Jack asked humbly.

"Well, sir, those are a bit too much malfunctions, to be honest.", she answered sourly. "And I can't mend it from here, so I'd say the system is being influenced from the outside…"

Jack raised a brow. "The _outside_ outside?", he inquired.

Carter shook her head so that the tips of her short blonde hair danced around her ears, her forehead and her jaw. "Impossible, sir.", she denied him. "It has to be from within the Mountain, most likely even from anywhere within the SGC."

"Hold on for a moment!", Daniel interrupted abruptly. "It all started after SG-14 brought some kind of alien artifact back with them, didn't it? Maybe the artifact is responsible for all this…?"

Jack looked at Carter, who was obviously thinking it through. "Could be.", she agreed. "Well, it's the best clue we have for now where we could start to interrogate…"

"Alright, kids…", Jack concluded. "Here's what we're gonna do: SG-1 is going to search for the artifact and see, where the whole personnel have disappeared to. SG-2 is going to hold the control room, the Stargate, the briefing room and the General's office. Try to establish contact with the surface security checkpoints and hold back the cavalry for the time being. We'll stay in permanent contact via radio and if you lose connection with us, call for back-up."

Ferretti nodded and began to instruct his men. Meanwhile, SG-1 made their way back to the stairs, before strolling down the corridor towards the elevator. Jack was alert, his hands holding onto his weapon securely, just in case, but not overly worried. The cameras hadn't shown their friends, comrades and co-workers, but they also hadn't shown any aliens or threats, so worst case scenario, Jack figured, was that the base was utterly deserted. Certainly not good, but not life-threatening either.

Carter called the elevator and then stepped back to stand at Jack's side, probably a little closer than needed, but he wouldn't ever complain about that.

The doors _ding_-ed open and together, they filed into the elevator. In complete silence, they rode up to Level eighteen, only interrupted once by Ferretti checking in on them. When the elevator doors opened at Level eighteen, SG-1 expected to be greeted with the same grave-like silence and they weren't disappointed. The corridor was deserted and unfamiliar silence drifted through the hallway from uncountable opened lab doors.

Daniel jogged forwards, since he knew this level best, and had soon spotted the device. It stood utterly ignored in what Jack recognized as Sergeant Doctor Louise Lewis' lab. Aside from her military rank, Lewis was a linguist, even though not as good as Daniel himself, and had obviously intended to study the device she'd brought back with her team, SG-14, before she'd gone AWOL, just like all the rest. Jack stepped in cautiously, with SG-1 right behind him, but when the little, box-shaped device with the fine lines of language engraved into its sides gave no indication to do anything other than wait patiently for its examination, they all relaxed slightly. Immediately, Carter and Daniel were all over the thing, analyzing it with their eyes, but keeping their hands away from it for now, which was no doubt curtesy to the stern _dare-ya_-stares Jack sent them.

Daniel glanced at the workbench the device was placed on and with a small frown on his face, he picked up a few scattered papers. "Hmmm…", he murmured interested. "Parker made notes…"

"Lewis.", Carter corrected absentmindedly, almost on autopilot.

Daniel glanced up confused, his attention diverted from the sparse notes he'd found. "Lewis?", he asked.

Carter shot a quick glance at him. "Louise.", she clarified. "The name's Lewis now. She's recently married?"

Daniel exhaled, a short puff of air. "You say that as if I was supposed to know…"

Carter rolled her eyes. "We were invited to the ceremony, Daniel."

"We were?"

"Yes. To be exact, you and I were."

Daniel grimaced once again. "Then why weren't we at this ceremony?"

Carter smiled indulgently. "Because we were on a mission with SG-1 to PZ–"

Daniel's face lit up. "Ah yes, I remember."

By now, Jack had enough. "That's all really nice, kids, but could we, y'know, concentrate on the task at hand…?", he said, motioning towards the alien device.

Immediately Carter snapped her attention back to the device with a crisp 'Yes, sir!', while Daniel waved the other man off uninterested, skimming his eyes over the notes once again. Jack observed, when Carter pulled out one of her measuring doohickeys from her backpack and waved it all around the actually tiny, unspectacular looking device. Her eyes were glued to the gadget's display in her palm and Jack watched her face closely, as if watching a barometer, trying to get a hint on what was heading for them. When she frowned almost unnoticeably, he knew there was something wrong.

"What?", he snapped.

She looked up to him. "Um nothing too disconcerting, sir.", she placated him. "It's just that, for its relatively small size, the device is emitting strong radiation waves…"

"What kind of radiation?", he inquired instantly.

Carter packed her whatever-it-was away, looking decidedly unworried. "Nothing that could harm us in any way.", she said and he was aware that, for once, she'd made it simple for him.

Daniel nodded to her words. "Would make sense.", he agreed. "From what Sergeant Parker… I mean Lewis, wrote here, this device was a gift from our allies on PJK-212 they'd visited in honor to her recent marriage…"

"So, this thing isn't responsible for our people disappearing?", Jack asked.

Both Daniel and Carter shook their heads and the Colonel cursed. If he was honest, it would have made things so much easier, if it had been the device's fault, because then they'd had a starting point Daniel and Carter could work on. Now they still had no clue whatsoever what had happened.

"Any ideas, what's causing our situation then?", he asked nevertheless, waiting for his two scientists to come up with any totally ludicrous explanation. When Daniel summed it all up by shrugging his shoulders feebly, Jack was inclined to curse.

"Okay.", he decided. "Let's head back to the control room and see, if we can come up with any other solution."

The trip back to the elevator was as silent as the SGC's corridors, all of them working through things in their head. Jack was acutely aware that the situation was turning direr and direr with each passing second. He didn't have enough men to comb through the whole base and search for their comrades. In fact, he had so little men to spare to search the facility that the whole base could hide out within the SGC without them ever tripping over one of the missing if not by pure luck… Maybe it really was time to call for the back-up from the surface, he mused.

Suddenly, Daniel's head next to him snapped up, almost startling the Colonel. "Um… Jack?", he asked, his eyes unsteady, as if he was still mulling things through in his head.

"Yeah?", Jack answered, letting go of his radio. He'd just grabbed onto it to give Ferretti a short report of what they'd discovered until now. Or, rather, the lack thereof.

The archaeologist turned for him, but his eyes strayed over to Carter. Then he pointed to something on the wall. Jack followed his movement as well as Carter, and subsequently Teal'c, did. Jack's eyes fell onto one of the security cameras. From his point of view it looked completely normal, when suddenly the red light, indicating that it ran smoothly, began to flicker wildly and then went completely out. Astonished, Jack observed the now useless camera and imagined another picture of black and white Ferretti and his men now probably had to deal with at the control room. Carter stepped closer to the camera and Jack could almost hear the wheels turn in her head, when she studied the thing attentively. Then, in a swift motion, his 2IC turned and headed down the hall to the next camera. Jack followed her actions and watched, as she stood in front of the camera, observing as its light began to flash and then vanished, too. Then, almost sprinting, she marched back to them, pulling out the doohickey she'd just used in Lewis' lab. Without asking for permission, she held the tool up to Daniel, who did his best not to recoil surprised.

"Carter?", Jack prompted her, out of patience.

She looked up to her team. "Sir, some of the radiation from the alien artifact is stuck on us.", she reported. "It seems to counteract with the cameras and causes their malfunction."

He was not going to scream… No, he wasn't.

"Carter, I remember you saying that these radiation waves were harmless.", he said sweetly.

"They are.", she stated confidently.

Normally that would reassure him. Strangely, this time, it did not. "How could they be harmless if they manage to shut down cameras?", he inquired.

"Because this is an electrical interference.", Carter explained. "And although the human body does have an electrical field, this kind of radiation cannot influence it much."

Jack decided to believe her. If only, because further inquiry would only prompt her to more technobabble he wouldn't understand anyways.

"Um…", Daniel suddenly interrupted articulately. "Couldn't that mean that… our people haven't disappeared…?"

Carter and Teal'c raised a brow in an identical fashion.

"Care to explain?", Jack prompted, when Daniel didn't continue right away.

Daniel shrugged. "Well, I just meant… if this radiation sticks to people and renders cameras useless, then maybe our people are, where all the cameras have shut down?"

"So you mean to say that, maybe, the base isn't deserted, but all personnel is somewhere here, presumably at the same place?", Carter said, her brain already racing down the same path Daniel's had gone. The archaeologist nodded.

Now Jack's hands went for his P90, gripping onto it tightly. All personnel in one place could very well equal an assault with capture. Carter looked at him with wide eyes, her head obviously having reached the same solution. Or rather, she was already three steps farther, when she pressed out: "Sir, the defect cameras! Most of them were on Level twenty-two!"

Jack gritted his teeth. On Level twenty-two were the mess halls, the kitchen and several isolation rooms. Perfect for housing – and maybe controlling – this much people.

"We're gonna check that out!", he ordered immediately and wasted no time to stride for the elevator once again. His team followed hurriedly and when they rode back down, Jack took a second to inform Ferretti of their assumptions on the situation.

By now, Jack's mood was darkening with every passing second. He'd been gone for five hours… Five fucking hours, for cryin' out loud, and where had that gotten them?! In a possible foothold situation! Jack wasn't really sure, if his staying would have made any difference, but still he felt himself questioning whether he'd made the right decision to come to Daniel's rescue, seeing that that had apparently left the whole SGC open for an assault! Then again, he also couldn't have left his friend in a trap that could have done whatever to the archaeologist…

He grunted, feeling a massive headache approach. Being in control of such a large, important front-line base sure was a taxing job! How the hell did General Hammond manage to do this good all the time…?

A demure _ding_ announced that they'd reached their destination, Level twenty-two. Immediately, and without any communication, Jack and Sam raised their weapons, prepared to shoot, when the doors opened. What they were presented with, though, was so bizarre, Jack lowered his personal defense weapon to lean against his chest, while his head was busy trying to figure out, what exactly he was looking at. It seemed the whole base was present, which, most likely, even was the truth. People were racing over the hallways or standing in the corners chatting, and uncountable voices were heard from the mess halls and the isolation rooms. Giggling and laughing sounded out, from high-pitched female voices to deep rumbling male voices. Nobody acknowledged the dumbfounded SG-1, who stood flabbergasted in the opened doors of the elevator, but in all likelihood nobody had even noticed them. They all seemed much too busy with having fun…

Stunned and speechless, SG-1 stood transfixed and watched, what could very well be just a giant party they hadn't been invited to.

But then anger took hold of the confused Colonel. What the hell was going on, here!? What were they all doing!?

Jack growled dangerously and stomped from the elevator. If nobody was going to present him with a very, _very_ good explanation within the next five _seconds_, he'd make sure, heads would roll! Had they all lost their minds!?

Carefully, his friends followed his lead, looking left and right in wonder. Apparently, nobody was giving a damn about the fact that their current Commanding Officer had returned and was about to blow up this little party spectacularly. In fact, the first one to acknowledge them in any way was a voice calling out: "Major Carter!".

The group halted simultaneously and watched a figure make their way through the crowd to them. "Lieutenant Simmons.", Teal'c acknowledged, when the man stopped in front of them.

The Lieutenant totally ignored him. Or, more precise, he ignored them all, aside from Carter. The moment he spotted her, however, his eyes and his whole face went dreamy and blissfully happy, an expression that made Jack's hackles raise automatically. A large smile crossed the Lieutenant's face and Jack nearly scowled at the other man, when he exclaimed overjoyed: "Major Carter!"

Carter looked thoroughly confused and even more so, when the Lieutenant suddenly rushed forwards towards her and grabbed her hands in his. She stepped back automatically and tried to pull her hands from him, but he held onto her. Jack wanted to punch him, but with an unimaginable effort, he held himself in check, waiting for the situation to play out.

The Lieutenant beamed at his 2IC relieved, his whole attention focused on her, and Jack could see that Carter wasn't that far from fidgeting uncomfortably anymore. "I was waiting for you!", the Lieutenant told her seriously. "I was getting worried, when you weren't coming back. But now, you're here and–"

By now, Jack felt as confused as Carter looked. "Graham, I have no idea–", she started, but interrupted herself, when the man stepped even closer to her after she'd mentioned his name. He practically lit up, when she addressed him by his given name and if Jack weren't so busy hating the whole situation, where a mere Lieutenant was advancing on _his_ woman – not that she was his in any way, but that wasn't the problem right now – he'd be seriously laughing over the tail he imagined wagging behind the love-stricken Lieutenant.

And then the Lieutenant did something that erased any thought of laughing completely from Jack's brain. With a swift movement the younger man strode forwards and extended his arms out to Carter. Only the fact that Jack knew immediately what the gesture meant prevented that he pointed his P90 at the Lieutenant and did something as stupid as shooting the fellow officer. Before Carter could react in any way, Simmons had put his arms around her, embracing her with a content sigh. Jack saw her freeze in surprise and then noticed an uncomfortable shudder running down her back, when she ordered with a strong voice: "Graham, let go!"

The Lieutenant apparently didn't notice the command he'd gotten from a superior officer going by the way he failed to comply. Jack almost saw red when he had to watch a pleased smile take hold of the other man's face, while Carter's body in his arms tensed up completely. He couldn't stand it! Carter obviously tried to do this the gentle way, probably keeping Simmons' feelings in mind, but Jack had no such qualms. Stomping up to them, he not-so-gently grabbed the other man's arms and shoving him back, he freed his 2IC.

Simmons staggered back and as if he was only now getting aware of the rest of SG-1's presence, he began to seize up Jack. And just to spite the other man, Jack did another step forwards, which brought his chest almost up to Carter's back, only inches separating them now. Simmons watched and his eyes narrowed. His eyes raked over Jack as if he was assessing an opponent. Jack was mildly astonished by the behavior of the usually docile officer, but he wasn't worried. Simmons was in no way a threat to him. And as if he was realizing this as well, the Lieutenant slowly stepped back. Shooting final, regretful gazes at Carter, he retreated.

Exhaling with relief, Carter turned for Jack. "Sir, I think something strange is going on here.", she began. "Graham would never act like that towards me! He has to be out of his mind to do something like that, if you understand what I mean…"

On the contrary, Jack thought that _Graham_ would very much act like that with Carter, if he had any indication she might feel the same he did. _Which she didn't!_ Still, she was right. The Lieutenant would never act like that out in the open, in front of her team and a superior officer to boot. After all, he was military as well. It was definitely strange.

Jack shot a last glance to the slumped form of the retreating Lieutenant and then over to Carter. Sighing, Jack indicated that they move on to investigate what the hell was going on, when he was almost bowled over by Captain Greg Behrens from SG-17, who seemed to be chasing the giggling Lieutenant Sandra Miller from SG-24, neither of them sparing their Commanding Officer even a glance, even though he glared after them murderously.

Daniel stepped up to Jack, blinking rapidly as if he wasn't trusting the information his eyes were providing. "Um… anyone else feel like we've entered another dimension…?", he asked confused.

Jack snarled. "Let's try to find Reynolds.", he ordered. "I need information!"

And someone he could yell at, he added inwardly.

This… this _behavior_ or whatever it should be called his men and women were showing here, was so… so wrong, so totally out of line that Jack couldn't feel relieved about the fact that nobody seemed to be harmed (aside from maybe Simmons' feelings). Nobody was working, nobody was monitoring the Stargate, the controlling systems, the infirmary, the security checkpoints. Heck, nobody was at their intended position at all! Instead, they mingled in the mess halls, passing their 'free time' with idle chatter, childish chases and – Jack's eyes almost bulged out at seeing that – the occasional kissing…! God, Jack thought, this broke about every regulation ever invented in the history of the Air Force! And he was the one responsible for all this mess gotten loose…

"_Oh my…!_", Carter suddenly exclaimed behind him in a manner that told Jack that there were even more good news to come. He swirled around, only to see a full-blown blush wander over his 2IC's features. Jack was about to ask what her problem was, when he followed her line of vision and his words got stuck within his throat. For a moment he gaped at the picture of Colonel and Doctor Winter getting it on in one of the isolation rooms! He knew they were married, but this was no behavior on base! In fact it was so outrageous that Jack couldn't wrap his mind around only the _thought_! He would have never believed any officer would cross _that_ border on base…!

He was about to seriously blow, when Carter did the right thing. She slammed the isolation room's door close in his face, stopping him in his tracks. Surely this behavior needed to be disciplined, but right now, given the whole picture, they had more pressing problems.

"Seriously, what is wrong here…?", Daniel asked baffled. "They are all completely out of control!"

"Indeed.", Teal'c agreed, when a group of nurses passed them, all breaking out into fits of giggles, when Teal'c's eyes followed their departure.

"Major Carter!", a voice suddenly called out once more. Jack felt her tense next to him and her head whirled around to see, who was calling out to her now. Jack saw one of the Doctors bee-lining for her – Folger or Felger or something like that – with the same big smile Simmons had worn. Now Carter positively cringed and stepped back, only to bump into his side.

"Major Carter!", Felger shouted elated, waving ecstatic, and Jack was surprised to see goosebumps race over Carter's skin. God, they really had other problems right now! Jack stepped up and glowered at the good Doctor he really wasn't fond of anyways and Carter took the opportunity to hide behind him. But, to his dismay, the good Doctor didn't seem to get the hint. Again. Unfortunately, Jack just couldn't risk hurting the innocent man, who was most likely under some alien influence. So he turned around swiftly, grabbed onto Carter and then ushered his team forwards, leaving a probably inconsolable man behind. To avoid more of these interruptions, Jack simply kept Carter close to him and glared at any man murderously, who dared to look at her longer than a second.

They finally boxed their way through to the great mess hall, but with the masses of people assembled Jack had no possibility to find Reynolds. He only saw people flirting, people kissing, people making out…

He rubbed his temples exhausted. How the hell was he supposed to clear up this gigantic mess?

"Daniel!", a voice called out and before anyone on SG-1 could act in any way, Doctor Janet Fraiser had rushed over. Only to throw herself into the archaeologist's arms and hold on for dear life.

"Janet…?!", Daniel choked out, completely taken by surprise, but she didn't answer. She seemed content as long as she could hold onto him. Her eyes closed and a pleased smile played upon her lips, when she laid her head against his chest. Daniel stood there, awkwardly holding his arms out so he wouldn't accidently touch her in any wrong way and stared at Sam helplessly, who was pressed up to the Colonel and had no possibility to come to his help.

"Would _somebody please_ explain this to me…?", Jack sighed exasperated, not really addressing anyone in particular.

So he was actually surprised, when Carter answered him. "Ah, sir, I think I might have to correct my statement about the radiation from the alien device not influencing the human body that much…", she said contritely. "Maybe there was more to it than the simple electric radiation I picked up on, because it seems to meddle with the body's chemistry quite a bit, from what I can see…"

He raised a brow, but before he could ask, she continued: "Well, given that it was a gift to celebrate Sergeant Lewis' marriage, I think the radiation that goes off that alien device causes… _this_."

She gnawed on her lip in thought, explaining: "I'm not exactly sure, since I haven't analyzed the device yet, but it could deepen feelings of affection or lust, or it could change priorities. Maybe so that Lewis' marriage would become her main concern. It could also influence the body's hormones, maybe to ensure offspring, or it could evoke…"

"Bottom line, Carter.", he cut her off.

She sighed. "Bottom line, sir, is that the whole base is under alien influence and has literally nothing on their mind anymore than… coupling."

"Oh for cryin' out loud!", he cursed. "_Why?_"

Again, she could only guess, he figured. "Well, sir, I don't think our alien allies were aware that their gift would go through various analyzes first and could influence a whole military base. They probably thought Lewis would bring it right to her home and so it would only influence her. Then again, maybe humans react stronger to this kind of influence than their race…"

"So there is a good chance we will be influenced as well?", Teal'c's deep voice asked.

Carter nodded. "I detected remnants of the radiation on us and we stood next to the device for a certain amount of time, so I'd say not long and we join this party here…"

Jack and Daniel groaned simultaneously.

"We have to shut it off!", the archaeologist said firmly, while glancing down to Janet's unmoving figure. The Colonel found he looked quite insecure, as if torn between wanting to enjoy the moment and fearing the repercussions later on for doing so. After all, Janet was military and had intimate knowledge of the human body, so she could seriously hurt someone, if she wanted to.

Returning to the task at hand, Jack nodded and was about to order their next step, when a very familiar, a very deep and very annoyed voice called out from across the room: "COLONEL O'NEILL!"

Oh, great, the General was back…! Talk about timing! And he'd already gotten a first rundown about their latest _situation_, if Jack had to guess from the infuriated voice the other man had used. Maybe he'd even gotten briefed by Ferretti already, because the moment the General would have noticed upon his arrival that several security checkpoints were unmanned, he would have gone for the control room or his office (where Jack should have been) immediately to find out what had happened and would have stumbled upon SG-2. That also meant the General was probably the only person, aside from SG-2, who wasn't under the influence of this alien device, because he hadn't come anywhere near Level eighteen or into closer contact with one of the influenced until now.

Thanks to his tall frame, Jack could make out the shorter man stomping through the crowd to get to them, an unhealthy red color spreading over his expression. Yay.

On the upside, he thought sarcastically, he wasn't in charge anymore. General Hammond would have the pleasure to clean up this mess…

But he would have some serious explaining to do!

Jack steeled himself for the approach of his CO, when Carter next to him suddenly jumped. Jack looked over and saw another Captain trail his hand down her shoulder. Immediately pissed off, Jack pulled her further back, until she was standing against the wall, shielded by his larger body. Really, her fan-club was getting annoying from time to time!

She looked up to him and shot him a small thank-you-smile and suddenly, Jack was hit with a rather strange thought. Too bad they hadn't been present, when the alien influence had started out throughout the base, he thought inwardly, by the way. He knew who he would have probably sought out under it. Because ever since the Broca-virus he and Carter had an uncanny tendency to go for each other, whenever there was some alien influence meddling with their brains, their discipline and their control, almost as if they were drawn to each other like magnets.

His eyes strayed to her mouth, even if he couldn't remember to have commanded them to do so and in response, he saw her tongue dart out and lick over her lower lip nervously. Switching back to her eyes, their gazes locked, dark brown eyes boring into light blue ones.

Jack felt a slight tinge of regret echo through his body upon thinking of this good, but wasted opportunity, before another, mischievous thought took hold of his mind. Maybe it wasn't too late yet? A smug, playful grin curled up the corners of his mouth and instantly, he saw her eyes widen. She had understood. And going from her answering, equally daring grin that slowly spread across her features, he knew perfectly well that she was on board.

In the split of a second, Jack had closed in on her, aligning his body to hers. Cautious to not use too much force, he pushed closer to her, until there was no space left between them and the wall in her back pressed her body to his. He felt the soft curves of her body even through her combat gear and had to bite back a pleased sigh. Instead he focused on her face, observing her closely, waiting for her to stop him, but she didn't. They moved simultaneously, almost as if pre-decided. His head lowered, while hers raised slightly and their lips met. Warmth and an electric tingle shot through his body instantaneously, awakening it, the moment they touched, but it was a reaction Jack was used to when it came to Carter. With her, it was always intense. Her familiar scent drifted up to him, now way more intense thanks to their close proximity and Jack had to fight to keep the kiss light, because he didn't want to lose his control with her in front of their Commanding Officer. He didn't want to go overboard, but still he made sure, he was paying her all the attention she deserved, so he could let her know what this rather simple kiss meant to him.

Their mouths moved slowly with each other's, but in complete sync. His hands went to her waist, loosely holding her and he felt her own fists clutching at his jacket over his stomach. She opened her mouth in invitation and without hesitation, as if they'd done this hundreds of times before, he slipped his tongue in, caressing hers with sensuous strokes.

"COLONEL O'NEILL!", General Hammond shout enraged in the background and dimly, Jack heard Daniel or Teal'c answer him with something, but although the rational part of his brain concluded that the General must have arrived, stood now right next to them and had seen everything, Jack couldn't get himself to step back from Carter. It was such a good opportunity to waste…!

So instead of freeing her, as he would be expected to do, Jack just upped the game a bit. Leaning in towards her, he forced her to lean her head further back, so that the angle changed. She moaned quietly, a sound that disappeared in his mouth, but he felt the vibrations, knowing immediately what they meant. With just a bit more urgency, he moved his lips on hers, firing up the kiss the slightest bit. He knew the time he had to let go of her was approaching fast, but he really didn't want to part from her. And going by her enthusiastic reaction, she was just as reluctant.

Jack knew that, technically speaking, neither he nor Carter were under any alien influence, they just hadn't been under the radiation long enough, but everyone would assume it nonetheless. And for once, Jack was content to hide behind this excuse, if that meant he got a stolen moment with this woman that meant so much to him…

* * *

_A/N: Phew, fifteen pages for what felt like two sentences of Sam/Jack. Slightly sad, but this chapter really needed lots of explanations to work out..._


	19. Anger

_**Author's note**__: Again, thank you all for your reviews and follows!_

_**Around the regs**_

_Chapter Nineteen – Anger_

Sam sat in her chair in the briefing room, doing her best to not fidget uncomfortably. And this was _not_ due to her injury, even if her heavily bandaged shoulder _was_ hurting. Although the fresh sling tucked it securely against her chest, moving around would only serve to aggravate it, so it probably was a good idea to stay still.

But Sam was honest enough with herself that her injury was her least concern right now. No, she wanted to avoid drawing any attention to her. And fidgeting wouldn't help her with that. So she needed to stay calm.

A quick glance around the room assured her that she wasn't the only one following that tactic. Teal'c was sitting as unmoving as stone, not even blinking, his eyes glued to the form of Daniel standing in front of the briefing room table. The archaeologist was giving General Hammond the rundown on their last mission, for once really sticking to the short, necessary details. The General followed attentively what the linguist was explaining to him, but every now and then Sam saw his eyes flicker over to the Colonel, keeping a close eye on the other man's mood. Which was downright murderous.

Since the debriefing had started, the Colonel sat motionless, his face closed-off and his body taut as a bowstring. His eyes were narrowed in a flatly dangerous expression and his mouth was a thin, hard line. Tension was radiating from his body in almost visible waves, seemingly sucking all the air out of the room, thus making it hard for all others present to breathe.

And Sam knew it was all her fault. She had screwed up royally at the last mission. Given, the Jaffa ambush they had stumbled into not far away from the Stargate had been unexpected – the MALP hadn't brought back any intel that enemy contact could be likely, after all. But then Sam had made a mistake that screamed 'rookie' despite the golden oak leaf insignia on her BDUs collar. She had turned to take out a foe that had sneaked up on Daniel, losing sight of the enemy, and consequently had gotten herself shot. Thoroughly. From what Daniel had told her, when she had woken up in the infirmary, there had been a lot of smoke and blood on her body, but no visible sign of her being alive. Then again, nobody on the team had had the time to check if she'd really been dead or had simply fallen unconscious at that moment. So the Colonel had dragged her back to the SGC, while Teal'c had covered them, his staff weapon a more effective defense against the approaching Jaffa than their Tau'ri firearms. Luckily, the blast had missed anything vital or difficult, Sam had merely sustained a flesh wound and had lost a bit blood. Janet had already wrapped up her arm tightly by the time she had come to in the infirmary and explained that the worst that could happen were aftereffects from the shock her body had gone into or infections that could inflame the wound. Sam had been released from the infirmary almost immediately after waking up and took that as a good sign. Daniel, who had stayed with her while she'd been unconscious, had left with her and together, they had gone to the debriefing. Sam had awoken in time to take part in the debriefing, another good sign, she had mused, since it meant she hadn't been out of it for long. So she had let herself be tentatively optimistic.

That had been, until she had been confronted with the Colonel. She had merely needed a glance into his stormy, scowling expression to lose any fragment of hope she had upheld until then. The Colonel wasn't amused, oh no. Far from that, he seemed furious. And while General Hammond had inquired after her well-being, assuring her that she had done what had been necessary to safe a team member, Sam couldn't help the sinking feeling that the Colonel wasn't quite seeing it like that. She was pretty sure, she was in for a heated scolding from him. At best.

Sam dared a quick glance at the tense man sitting next to her. For once, his hands lay completely still in his lap, his fingers clenched together tightly. His eyes were turned for Daniel, wordlessly _daring_ the archaeologist to drag this debriefing out in any way.

Sam gnawed at her lip insecurely, not even pretending to listen to Daniel. Right now, she found it way more important that her CO was beyond angry with her, refusing to even _gaze_ her way.

Sam couldn't stand it. Had never been able to, in fact. The Colonel's opinion of her mattered greatly to her. She didn't _want_ to make herself so vulnerable by attaching such meaning to a single man's opinion, but she couldn't help it. It was the Colonel – _Jack_ – after all and she just strived to do her best for him. And now, seeing that he was furious with her, Sam wanted nothing more than to apologize, to right his opinion of her. She couldn't stand the cold, tense distance between them. It was physically hurting her, much like her shoulder was.

Hesitantly, Sam debated with herself for a second, but then, unnoticed by any prying gazes, she reached out her good left hand under the table and laid it upon his right one. They had done this before in similar situations, just a slight reminder that they were alright and nothing had happened.

Sam waited for a moment for any reaction from him. Normally, he would turn over his hand and take hers in his, or he would quickly brush his fingers over her hand and then sever the contact. It depended on the situation they had gone through before and how much physical contact they needed to reassure themselves of the other's well-being. But this time he didn't react to her peace-offering in any way. His body stayed tense, his fingers still clawing into his pants legs.

Sam had to cling to her professional face to prevent her expression from falling disappointed. She really had screwed up royally this time, hadn't she? Depressed, she drew her hand back to her and then, clenching and releasing her fingers in an almost hypnotic way, she observed the hand now lying loosely in her lap.

With her head hanging low, she missed Daniel finally wrapping up the debriefing. She only came back to the present, when the Colonel next to her shot up and she quickly mirrored the movement with routine. The General dismissed them, shooting her another sympathetic gaze, but Sam's attention was elsewhere. The moment the General had ended the debriefing, the Colonel had been out of the room. Sam hurried after him, completely ignoring Daniel and Teal'c. Wary of her injured shoulder, she jogged after him, cursing slightly, when he still managed to outpace her with the long strides his legs took.

Sam finally managed to corner him at the elevator. Well, sort of. The time he had to wait for the elevator to arrive was enough for her to catch up with him enough to slide into the elevator next to him, before the doors closed. Panting with the exertion she probably shouldn't have put herself through anyways, she leaned back against the cold metal cabin of the elevator, looking over to him. He was staring straight ahead, not even acknowledging her.

"Sir…!", she pleaded with him, by now almost desperate to get any reaction from him.

"Not now, Carter!", he bit out in a way that made Sam realize he was barely holding on. His tight pressed voice indicated that his anger was bubbling dangerously close to the surface. Still, it would probably be better, when he got it out of his system, even if that meant dumping it on her. She deserved it, anyways, she figured.

She pushed herself off from the elevator's wall and stepped up to him. "Sir, I'm really sorry!", she insisted, as if willing him to hear her honest regret.

He finally looked at her, his eyes so dark they almost appeared black. His expression was downright frightening, but Sam wasn't afraid of him. She could never be; for that she knew him too good already.

"What're _you_ sorry for?", he inquired, curiosity getting the better of him.

She blinked at him, puzzled. "Getting shot?", she answered, motioning to her bandaged shoulder.

He sighed and raked a hand through his abused hair, undoubtedly not for the first time today judging from the way it looked.

"Carter, how can you apologize for something like that? _No one_ plans to get shot!", he countered, sounding exhausted.

She looked up into his guarded eyes, opening her expression for him to read her feelings. "I just wanted you to stop being angry with me.", she admitted, wincing at her own words. Did that sound as reliant as it did in her head…? She really didn't want him to get a false impression, when she was working on getting on his good side once again.

"I'm not angry with you!", he brushed her off.

Sam snorted. She couldn't suppress it. She knew her CO. And, besides, _anyone_ could see that he was practically seething with rage, no matter if they had firsthand knowledge of Jack O'Neill's emotions or not.

"Yes, I can clearly see that, sir!", she shot back, slightly ticked off.

He raised an eyebrow at her, his dark gaze tearing into her once more. "What's that supposed to mean?", he questioned gruffly.

Sam risked a quick glance at the levels they were passing in the elevator. Not that long anymore and they would have reached the level where their private quarters were. He just had to stall for some time and then he could outrun her once more to disappear in his private quarters. And the moment he'd reached those, she knew, he would be unreachable for her. For an unknown amount of time. But she so wasn't about to let him get away that easily, when she had just managed to corner him! With a resolute determination Sam pivoted around and punched the emergency halt button on the panel, making the elevator lurch to a sudden stop between two levels.

"_Carter?_", the Colonel inquired heatedly.

"I just want to say this!", she explained. "I really am sorry! I knew I screwed up royally at the mission, but I–"

"You think, I'm angry about the mission gone downhill…!?", he interrupted her, sounding incredulous.

"Yes.", she answered, puzzled. "You're not?"

"_Of course not!_", he snapped at her.

"Then why exactly are you angry with me…?", she asked confused.

"Carter, as I _said_ before, I'm not angry with you!"

She huffed, almost at her patience's end. "And what do you call _this_?", she probed, while motioning towards his tense stance.

With a sudden, swift movement she didn't even see coming, he marched up to her, getting well into her personal space, and reached out to grab for her. In an automatic reflex Sam couldn't quash, she shut her eyes. But only a split of a second later, she opened them again, and was presented with his dark eyes gazing right back at her. One of his large hands had cupped her jaw and tilted her head upwards to meet his own, while the other was shoved against the elevators wall behind her to stabilize him. His forehead rested against her own, so that their breaths mingled. His large body blocked out the light coming from the elevator's ceiling and the red blinking dot from the surveillance camera so that all Sam could see anymore was him.

"Carter, I'm not angry _at_ you getting shot, I'm angry _over_ you getting shot!", he clarified quietly.

_Oh_, was all her generally brilliant brain supplied to that. He was… _oh_…!

"I'm sorry.", she said again. "I didn't want you to worry…"

He sighed. "Yeah and I shouldn't have taken it out on you. You really have other problems right now…"

"I'm okay.", she assured him. "Really, I am. Janet's more worried about infections than my shoulder itself."

He nodded, making her head move along with his. "Good to hear.", he whispered to her.

She smiled, his concern for her warming her from within. "I was… concerned.", she confessed, slightly embarrassed. "When you didn't react to me earlier, I thought…"

He raised an eyebrow, signaling that he didn't understand, what she was talking about. For emphasis, Sam reached up and laid her hand over his that was holding onto her jaw. In a habitual response, his fingers entwined with hers, causing her to smile relieved.

He grinned back lopsided. "If I had reacted then, we'd be in for a serious reprimand from General Hammond.", he explained.

Sam looked at him confused. "Why? I don't–"

She didn't get to finish the sentence, however. Jack closed the distance between them and suddenly, Sam felt his lips press against hers. The kiss was light and sweet, but deep nonetheless. She reacted instinctively, without thinking, and kissed him back. Their lips were moving in sync with each other, but they were the only place where they touched. Jack stayed at a certain distance to her, noticeably cautious of her injured shoulder. Still, they thoroughly enjoyed the closeness to the other and the chaste, yet loving kiss conveyed everything they needed say to each other.

Sam felt the usual spike of her blood pressure, she always felt when he was this close to her, and her breathing sped up subsequently. Her good hand went to his chest to tangle in his BDU jacket and his thumb of the hand that was intertwined with hers brushed over her cheek intimately. Not getting enough of the other, their mouths moved over each other's, gasping half-opened, when breathing became hard.

They had to break apart however, when Sergeant Siler's voice rang out over the elevator's intercom, inquiring, if everything was alright. Jack settled his forehead back against hers and gazed down into her eyes, when he answered the Technical Sergeant, telling him everything was alright. Then he released the emergency button so the elevator could continue its journey. They ascended, but neither would move away from the other.

"I just needed to make sure, you were alright so desperately, I thought I would snap every moment…", Jack admitted with a rough voice.

Sam nodded. She was familiar with this feeling. But, despite his Special Forces trained steely resolve, she usually had the better hold on her emotions, waiting for the appropriate moment to let them surface. He however was a man of action. He usually did, whatever came to his mind, whenever it came to his mind. So having to sit through the debriefing, while he had wanted nothing more than to give in to the overwhelming urge to establish the needed physical and emotional connection to her to assure himself that she was alright after he had dragged her lifeless body back to the SGC only hours prior, must have been hell for him.

Sam went up on her toes and pressed another quick kiss to his lips, telling him that she understood and that she really was alright.

With a _ding_ the elevator announced their arrival. Without breaking their contact, Jack pulled her to the side, so that they couldn't be seen from the hallway and punched another button on the panel. The doors closed and the elevator began to descend once more.

"Where're we going?", she asked against his lips.

"Don't care.", he answered, before closing in on her for another kiss. "I'm just not quite done with you yet…"

* * *

_A/N: Don't know why, but it's just so much fun to write an angry Jack! He's always shown so in control, so I like making him lose it..._


	20. Life

_**Author's note:**__ This is kind of an anniversary chapter! It's the twentieth chapter I've posted so far and by now, 'Around the regs' has reached over a hundred reviews! Thank you all so much for that! You guys are awesome!_

_So, to 'celebrate', I've finally edited this chapter that I wanted to have posted long since before, but it needed quite a lot of reworking. I'll say this beforehand: I know it is short; too short even for this topic (kinda ironic, seeing that this is the second-longest chapter I've posted in here). Also, it's probably one of those chapters I should have made into a full-fledged story, but then I would have expected this one to become seriously long and unfortunately, I just don't have the time for something like that right now…_

_Nevertheless, enjoy!_

_** To noobie**__: Since you're a guest, I didn't know how to answer your question other than like this. Unfortunately, I have no idea, what you mean by 'awards', so I don't know, if I'll be able to help you, but this is not work in progress, because, to me, WIP is an ongoing, unfinished story. But each chapter in 'Around the regs' is an independent, complete and stand-alone one-shot that can be read without any knowledge of the other chapters. I even have a set number of chapters I want to post for 'Around the regs' and already, we're nearing the end. I hope this answers your question?_

_And now, enough rambled and on with the story…_

_**Around the regs**_

_Chapter Twenty – Life_

Captain Samantha Carter stood in one of the Air Force Academy's training rooms in the middle of an oddly mixed group of cadets and already educated officers. Almost all of them were men, most of them even the bulky kind, whose muscles already indicated that they had cleared the higher grades in hand-to-hand-combat. By the glances they shot her, she knew that they were stunned by her being there, but Sam wasn't about to let herself get intimidated by them. She knew she had the skills to back up her attendance. And no chance in fucking hell would she give up on this chance! Yes, she may be the smallest here – and she was tall! – and in comparison she must look ridiculous in between those heavily muscled men (and women), but she was still highly thankful for her ex-combat-trainer, who had remembered her and invited her to join. Apparently, the Air Force Academy trainer had managed to get a highly decorated, very experienced Colonel to teach a few, selected fellow Airmen a few tricks of advanced hand-to-hand. And although Sam was quite advanced herself, thanks to her excellent teacher, this was about a once-in-a-lifetime-chance she wouldn't pass up.

Speaking of the devil, her former Academy trainer, Major Jay Cassidy, strolled into the training room, causing all assembled men and women, Sam included, to stand at attention. And next to the Major walked the cause of the present gathering.

Sam felt her eyes zero in on the unknown man and try as she might, she couldn't look away. She knew neither of those men around her, and she hadn't even bothered to look twice. She had just gotten out of a rather hard and disappointing engagement and really didn't want to capture any man's attention at the moment. But she couldn't help but focus her whole attention on _him_. Given, it wasn't that this man held her interest like _that_, he was just an overwhelming presence that one couldn't overlook. Or at least she told herself that.

Sam was indistinctly aware that Major Cassidy had started talking and had most of the assembled men's attention, but Sam couldn't look away from the other man hovering unobtrusively in the background behind Major Cassidy. He was tall, probably towering over all the assembled, and lean. He didn't appear overly muscled, but Sam could almost feel the quiet strength he exuded. If she had to guess, then she estimated him to be the type, who wouldn't use brute strength to bring down an opponent – because he wouldn't need to. He probably only needed one or two well-placed hits and whatever foe he fought would go down instantly. He held himself with an air of assured confidence that gave away that he had seen and done things unimaginable for most of them. He wore the standard BDUs of the Air Force, the green and black ensemble only enhancing the underlying power he possessed.

And then Sam looked into his face. She estimated him to be in his early forties, even if he moved with the strength of a younger body. He had dark brown hair cut short in the regulation-prompted military way with the first streaks of silver in it along his temples that betrayed his age. Straight eyebrows were narrowed over deep, piercing dark eyes that swept over the assembled men and women in an assessing way. Strangely, Sam felt awed and sad at the same time, while looking at him. He clearly was an overwhelming presence, but with a single look in his face, Sam practically felt the gloomy aura fanning out all around him. Everything about him was in line. His whole body was taut, standing ramrod straight. His eyebrows were a straight line, his nose straight, his mouth an inexpressive, unmoving line. And everything about him was kept in check. He appeared closed off, impassive. His eyes brushed over all gathered officers, assessing them and their strength with an unbiased look.

Then, suddenly, they locked on hers. Neither his eyes, nor his face or body gave anything away, when he gazed at her, but Sam definitely felt her pulse speed up. The involuntary reaction took her completely by surprise and thoroughly confused her. Feeling a blush threaten to spill over her pale features, she broke the eye contact, settling her eyes back on Major Cassidy.

Really, she chastised herself angrily. What was her damn problem? He really wasn't the first Airman she'd seen in the Air Force. Still, he had something about him that fascinated her immensely. Fascinated her in the way she should have been fascinated by her recent ex-fiancé…

"_Oh god!_", Sam paled, while thinking. She wasn't attracted to this complete stranger, was she?! Heaven help, hadn't she just reminded herself that she had had enough of men to last her a decent while…? Even worse, he was military as well!

Gulping, Sam shoved all traitorous thoughts to the far back of her mind, focusing on her utmost professional expression, while trying to get her attention back to Major Cassidy. She had just tuned in, when the Major announced: "So it is my great pleasure to introduce you to one of the best CO's I have ever had the honor to serve under: Colonel Jack O'Neill, Special Forces."

"Retired.", added said Colonel tonelessly. Nothing in his demeanor changed, even when he was met with quite a bit of awed stares throughout the room. Sam couldn't help but be impressed as well. A Special Forces Colonel! Wow. He had to have lots of experience in his work and had probably done things Sam couldn't even imagine! He would surely know what he was talking about!

Cassidy shot the Colonel a look that told Sam everything the man thought about the other's decision to retire, but again the Colonel gave no indication that he had noticed.

"Well.", Cassidy continued. "It took me _quite_ some effort, actually _months_ of hunting him down, but eventually, this fine man here agreed to teach the up-and-coming and I chose all of you, because you are the best and deserve to learn from the best."

Sam watched the Colonel, while listening to Cassidy's words. He didn't even bat an eye at Cassidy's teasing and coaxing, and neither was he acknowledging the other man's praise with any visible signs. He simply stood there, his hands clasped behind his back, his body not allowing any movement.

And with this, Cassidy stepped back and let the Colonel take over. The man took two simple steps forwards, but Sam immediately imagined a lion strolling through his territory. Without much of a preamble, he began delving into the finer points of hand-to-hand, explaining in an objective, detached way, and Sam was glad that she was advanced already. She could pick up on what he meant immediately and she was astonished by the various, little tricks he showed them that looked unimportant at first, but managed to make a whole difference in the long run. The Colonel demonstrated a few hits and moves and Sam couldn't help but admire the way his body moved as much as the knowledge she gained.

From time to time, the Colonel halted his explanations and gave all assembled the opportunity to go through the moves he had shown them. Sam watched him attentively, her eyes following every move he did, and then she tried to copy what moves he taught them. With utmost care and concentration she went through the combinations bit by bit, trying to internalize them. She was sure they would come in handy sometime.

Every now and then, the Colonel would go through the ranks and let his eyes roam over the practicing officers, correcting their stances or giving a few tips. He passed by Sam two times and each time Sam was acutely aware of his intense dark eyes that followed her body's movements. Warm tingles and tiny shudders would run over her body where she felt his eyes resting on, and it was seriously threatening to disturb her concentration, but she hadn't made Captain for nothing. She was a professional and she acted like that. Faultlessly she went through the combinations she had learned and even added a few moves she had learned in her Academy days. He didn't comment on it, but he also didn't correct her, so Sam was pleased that, at least, she seemed to be doing it right.

He circled her and Sam became slightly nervous when he left her line of vision, but before she could seriously screw up her next move because her attention was rather following him than what she was doing, she heard him comment on another officer's posture. He had moved on. Exhaling feebly, Sam focused back on the task at hand. Really, who was she to lose her nerve because of a somewhat good-looking Colonel? She wasn't here to look at some men, she was here to learn!

And then Sam was made to realize she had just gotten sidetracked by the somewhat good-looking Colonel _again_, when she failed to notice the officer behind her stumble backwards, before he smashed into her back. Caught by surprise, Sam staggered forwards, fighting for her footing, when she almost tripped over her own feet.

A firm hand placed itself around her upper arm and drew her back until she could steady herself. Sam turned, intending to thank whoever had helped her out, but her words got stuck in her throat, when she looked right into the dark brown eyes of Colonel O'Neill. Sam actually had to raise her head to look into his face and given her height, this was nothing she was used to.

From the close proximity Sam noticed that he wasn't only good-looking. He was handsome, in a totally rugged, wild way. Sam swallowed reflexively, her mouth turning dry with uncharacteristic nervousness, before she remembered her manners and thanked him. He simply nodded to her words. Sam waited for him to acknowledge what she had said in any way, but instead he seemed to seize her up.

Without any warning, he suddenly stepped up to her, well into her personal space, and took her wrists in his hands. Sam almost jumped in surprise, her whole body doing an involuntary jerk at his unexpected move. She fought against the sudden urge to step back to regain her composure as well as the involuntary blush that was about to erupt on her face and neck.

He twisted her wrists a bit, altering the way she held her arms. "Hold them like this.", he instructed, apparently not picking up on her distraught state at all. "This will prevent your bones from breaking, if you have to block a direct hit."

He let go of her and before she could say anything, she saw his fist pull back and swing for her. In an automatic reaction, Sam fell into a defensive stance and blocked him. Astonishingly, it felt way easier than before and she almost didn't feel any pain in her arms, even though he had used quite some strength. Surprised, she looked up, right into his void eyes that gave away no expression.

"Um… thank you…", she murmured.

Again, he nodded and then, wordlessly, stepped back. Sam stayed behind unmoving, staring after him dumbfounded when he went on to the next officer. So he had noticed a fault in her close combat skills, after all…

But Sam had no idea what confused her more: that there was a fault in her combat skills she had worked so hard for to be textbook-perfect, that he had just went over her gratitude as if she had said nothing at all or that she was losing her complete composure whenever he came close to her…

By now thoroughly confused, Sam tried to concentrate on her exercises, trying to avoid all thoughts of a certain, confusing Colonel and while she was able to go on almost unfazed, she was still all aware of the tension that refused to leave her body. And she could still feel his eyes, whenever they switched over to her from the back of the room, watching her.

SJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJ

Sam slowly made her way through the crowd, smiling left and right at people she knew or recognized from seeing. Once or twice she stopped to talk with people she knew or liked, but really, such events weren't her favorite pastimes. She understood that with her post at the Pentagon came the duty to attend such evening parties, but that didn't mean she had to like it. She could stand it, when she had company, but since she had split up with Jonas… Yeah, so not going there right now!

Sam chanced a quick glance at the slim, feminine wristwatch she wore. God, the evening wouldn't speed up, as much as she wished it to. Not even the food was due anytime soon. Sam felt bored and this really wasn't a feeling she should connect a Friday evening with, should she? By now she was seriously tempted to make a dash for the bar and drown her misery, but she really didn't want to risk getting tipsy and do something she would be embarrassed for later on.

Sam wandered through the large room, her knee-length dress swinging around her thighs. She let her eyes wander, trying to find anyone she would like to spend the time with and failed spectacularly. No way was she passing her Friday evening with some of these snobs or one of those men eating her up with their eyes…!

Suddenly, Sam's eyes locked on a familiar figure. Colonel O'Neill! She paused in her movement, gazing over astonished. Well, she certainly wouldn't have expected _him_ to be here…

Sam thought for a moment. She really didn't know him that good, actually she had only exchanged a few words with him during the training session yesterday, but he looked as bored out of his skull as she felt. He stood leant against a wall, nursing a bottle of beer, while his empty eyes roamed over the assembled men and women, an occasional sneer passing over his face.

Sam inhaled deeply, trying to encourage herself. Well, she would just go over and say 'hello', she figured, because that would be the polite thing to do, and if he really had no interest in talking with her, then she would see that as her sign to finally get the hell out of here. Steeled with resolve, she walked over to him.

"Colonel O'Neill.", she greeted, smiling at him, when she reached him.

His head turned towards her, his face giving no indication that he recognized her. Immediately Sam thought it to be one of the most stupid ideas she had ever had to approach him.

But then he acknowledged her: "Captain Carter."

Sam was taken by surprise. "You know my name?", she asked astonished.

"Cassidy mentioned you.", he explained, sounding disinterested.

Sam smiled warmly, briefly thinking of her former teacher. "Oh? I really hope he said something becoming?"

The Colonel smirked, just the tiniest hint of a lifting corner of his mouth and suddenly Sam wondered, what he would look like if he would truly smile. "He said you wouldn't be what I would expect in this lesson and that I shouldn't underestimate you."

Now Sam fully blushed, something she seemed to do in his presence more often than not.

He took a swig of his beer and then announced. "Completely unnecessary, however. I never underestimate an opponent."

Oh, she immediately believed him.

"Well, then I hope, I didn't disappoint you.", she added, trying to keep their small talk alive.

He shrugged indifferently and silence fell between them. Sam felt at a loss to what to say next. And he didn't seem very forthcoming in adding something to their slow going conversation, either.

"So, what are you doing here?", she asked, hoping she didn't cross him with such a question.

"Friend of mine dragged me here, insisting that I had to go, while I am in DC.", he admitted.

"You're not from here?", she inquired.

He shook his head. "Live in Minnesota."

"Really? I've never been to Minnesota myself, and being a military brat I've come around quite a bit. How is it?", she wanted to know.

"Nice.", he said curtly.

It was really dragging on and Sam felt pressured. She didn't know what he wanted from her. Did he want to talk to her? Or did he want her to leave him alone?

"So, where's your friend?", she asked, feeling rude to just leave him standing there in his corner, all alone.

"Took off with a brunette earlier.", he explained detached.

Sam was at a loss what to do. Should she just leave? Could she just leave? After all, retired or not, he was a superior officer…

"Um… then I'll guess, I…", she didn't get any further.

"Hey, Carter?", he suddenly addressed her.

"Yes, sir?", she answered automatically, when he addressed her by her last name.

His face scrunched up. "I'm retired, remember? No 'sir' anymore."

"Yes, Colonel?", she tried anew.

"Jack.", he insisted.

"Jack…", she repeated, feeling just the slightest bit breathless, when his name rolled off her tongue.

He nodded. "So, you into these shindigs?", he asked, tipping his chin towards the crowd to indicate what he meant.

She smiled at the noticeable dislike with which he spoke of the party. "Not really.", she admitted.

He sighed. "Good. Then wanna get out of here? I'm dying of hunger and if I am correct, then there's no food scheduled to arrive any time soon."

Sam gaped at him. With his unreadable expression, she couldn't be sure, but was he asking her out?

He raised an eyebrow, prompting her. She smiled at him, one of her generous, serene smiles. "I'd love that.", she agreed.

"Good.", he said, dumping his beer bottle at the next table and then stepping up to her. And together, they left the party behind.

Sam was pretty sure she was in for a slight reprimand from her superior officer at the Pentagon, when he found out that she left even before the food had arrived. To her surprise, however, she found she couldn't care less.

SJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJ

Sam stumbled through her front door with almost shaking knees. She managed to close the door and then dropped everything from her coat to her purse to her keys onto the sideboard standing at the side wall of her entrance, not caring for the tangled heap they landed in. Inhaling deeply, she leaned back against the door.

Absentmindedly, she looked up to the ceiling, feeling a loopy, silly, satisfied smile spread over her face. The evening had been sheer fantastic, awesome beyond all words!

Actually, they hadn't done much, simply went out to a small diner and then to a drive-in cinema only to miss the whole film, because they had talked the whole night. Still it had been one of the very best dates Sam had ever had. Which, she was sure of it, was mostly due to the company she had been in. Colonel Jack O'Neill was by far one of the most captivating men she had ever met. Now that he had finally loosened up a bit in her presence and was talking in more than two-words-sentences, Sam found he had a keen sense of humor. Slightly sarcastic, but still with wits and intelligence behind it. Sam found she was laughing to his words earnestly and had focused on him with her whole attention, something that she hadn't experienced with another man in god-knows-how-long.

They could and had talked for hours, not tiring or running out of topics. Slowly, Sam got to know him better and managed to get a picture of Jack O'Neill. He was an astonishing man, who had undoubtedly gone through hell of some sorts, even if he wasn't ready to talk about it with her yet. Still, Sam had seen the haunted look in his eyes and being military herself, she knew what it meant. Sam was familiar with the reluctance to talk about it, so she didn't pressure him. Instead, she just tried to let him have a good time while in her presence. And he certainly did his best that she was enjoying herself in his company.

They didn't have much in common. In fact they had more differences than similarities. He liked fishing, Sam couldn't understand the thrill of that. She was a scientist and he loathed them, calling them 'eggheads' before he would remember she was one of them, too. She could get totally absorbed in her work to make overtime voluntary, he was retired. She liked classic cars and bikes, he drove a monster pick-up. She was the type to organize everything weeks before, he did whatever he just was in the mood for.

Still, all their differences didn't strain their relationship at all. They had simply continued to meet and have a good time in the other's presence, until Sam had started wondering if those light meetings weren't slowly turning into dates. In the beginning, when they had met at the evening party at the Pentagon, they had simply enjoyed the other's company, connecting over the fact that they were both Air Force. After they had left the evening party together, they had went to a nearby diner and gotten something to eat, barely talking. Still, it hadn't been uncomfortable, so they had continued to go out together, getting to know each other better bit by bit. At first it had been mostly Sam, who had talked, until she had finally gotten him to open up a little. So they had met a few times, while he had still been in Washington, but when he had returned to Minnesota, she hadn't expected to ever hear from him again. And for a few weeks, she really hadn't.

And then he had stood in her office at the Pentagon, asking her out for lunch. Apparently, he was still well-asked for, even though he had retired and whenever he had felt bored enough, he would give in and do some favor or another for an old friend, some of them bringing him back to Washington. From then on they had kept in touch, writing, calling or meeting the other from time to time.

And somewhere in between, Sam realized, their meetings had turned into dates. She had begun to pay more and more attention to what she was wearing and how she was looking, their phone calls to agree on a time and place turned longer each time, he came to pick her up rather than meeting her somewhere, and the restaurants he was taking her to were getting more fancy and expensive.

The question that plagued Sam was, was he actually aware of it. Neither of them had spoken of dating. Instead they had both rather devastating experiences behind them, even if they hadn't really talked about it yet. Sam had mentioned just having broken her engagement and she vaguely knew he was divorced. So Sam was left unsure if they were both ready to begin dating. She knew that _she_ wanted to. She hadn't met a man like Jack O'Neill ever before and if she was honest, she feared she was already falling hard for him. The thorough attention he was paying her whenever they met and the way she enjoyed it, his personality that matched hers so well despite all their differences and the overwhelming tingle that would take hold of her body whenever he carelessly touched her or his hand brushed over hers told her so. So she would readily take the next step and try going out with him. The problem was, Sam wasn't sure if that was what he wanted as well. Being ex-black ops, Jack could be very hard to read, if he wanted to hold something back, so until now Sam hadn't had the courage to even hint on that she wanted more, fearing she could drive him away. After all, it was something completely else to go out when there was time and an occasion than committing to a steady relationship…

Closing her eyes, Sam tried to hold onto the feeling of happiness the evening had given her and not get her thoughts all entangled again because of him. Maybe all they needed was time. She just needed to be patient and–

The ringing of her phone ripped her from her circling thoughts, startling her. For a moment, Sam was disorientated, her head still far away on what she thought to have been a date, but then, slightly cursing under her breath, she began to search for her phone in the darkness of her house. It only occurred to her that she could have just switched on the light, when her hands grabbed hold on the ringing item while simultaneously her knee smashed into something she had had lain around, again.

"Carter?", she answered the phone, while she rubbed her hurting knee, swearing inwardly that _tomorrow_ she was _finally_ going to clean up this mess! Having to work the hours she did just wasn't an excuse for slacking off all the time…!

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line, before his deep, rough voice asked: "_Are you okay?_"

Sam straightened immediately at hearing his voice, not having expected him to call her at these hours after they had just gotten back from a date, and managed to crash her head right into the lamp over her coffee table. She groaned, but more ticked off by her own stupidity than the pain itself.

"Jack!", she almost yelped, while rubbing her head.

"_Um… yes._", he said, hesitantly. "_Bad time to call?_"

"No! Not at all!", she hurried to assure him. "Just didn't expect you to call."

A low chuckle sounded out from the phone that made another pleasant shiver run down Sam's back.

"_Yeah, just wanted to see, what you're doing with the rest of the evening. Or the morning, as it is. So what _are_ you doing?_"

Sam sat down on her couch's armrest and leaned back against the cushions. "Ah, right now? I might have knocked into some things…", she admitted sheepishly.

"_Hm, it might help to switch on some light._", he advised.

Sam blushed. God, was she that transparent that he could figure out her predicament through the phone?

Nevertheless, she stood up and moved through the room, her free hand patting along the wall, until she found the light switch. Sam blinked, when the light came on and then she staggered back to her spot on the couch.

"Light's on.", she reported back and was relieved, when he didn't laugh at her.

He merely sounded concerned, when he asked: "_So no more injuries?_"

"I'll try.", she said. Sighing, she rubbed her eyes. A quick glance to the clock hanging on the wall revealed it was almost three o'clock in the morning, but despite her body signaling she was tired, Sam felt all awake. She didn't want to stop talking with him and so she fished for a topic to continue what had obviously been only a short call from him to assure himself she was alright, even though he had just dropped her at her house only half an hour prior. Speaking of the time…

"You're at your hotel already?", Sam asked curious. Despite being military and having spent a bit time in Washington due to his job, Sam knew Jack had never lived here, because he didn't like Washington at all, so he always stayed at a hotel, when he came over to visit her.

"_Nope, still in the car._", he answered.

Sam frowned. "You're not calling me while driving, are you?", she questioned. This was Washington after all. The traffic was hell, even at three o'clock in the morning, so she would very much prefer he kept his attention to the road when he drove.

"_Do you hear an engine?_", he asked back with what Sam thought to be a smile in his voice.

Astonished, Sam realized she didn't. And going by the monster car he drove Sam thought she couldn't _not_ hear this engine. So what exactly was he doing?

"Jack? Where are you?", she asked, slightly confused.

Another moment of silence fell between them, before he finally answered: "_Still at your driveway._"

Sam almost jumped. With a swift movement, she got up and almost jogged from her living room back to her hallway, all but ripping her front door open. And just as he'd said, Sam could instantly make out the huge, bulky shape of his dark pick-up parking behind her Volvo. He was still here…

Sam's heart began racing, speeding up so much she could hear her heart thunder in her chest, when the sound of a car door falling shut reached her ears. On autopilot, she ended the phone call and let her phone drop, her mouth going dry, when she could make out his shape in the darkness of the morning walking over to her front door, after her eyes had adjusted to the lack of light. She followed his silhouette making his way up to her with her eyes, taking in the way his leather jacket curved nicely around his biceps and his long legs ate up the distance between them with confident, self-assured strides.

Sam's mouth went dry, when he stopped right in front of her and in a habitual action, she ran her tongue over her lips. His dark eyes followed the tiny movement and if she was right, then she thought that his eyes narrowed at the sight, a smirk passing over his features.

Sam looked up into his face, taking in what she could see even though he stood in the shadows of the night. He was still here. He hadn't returned to his hotel. Did that mean what she hoped it did? Was this, maybe, their chance to turn this relationship into something more? Did he want that? Sam was aware her thoughts were running away once more, but she couldn't help it. She couldn't help but hope.

He moved a bit closer to her, almost crowding her with his close proximity, his body blocking the whole door frame. He looked down on her and Sam met his stare head-on, looking back just as determined.

"Want me to go?", he asked.

Sam almost smiled. This was just so Jack, she thought. So this was his way of asking, if she allowed him to stay. If she wanted him to stay with her. For the night. He signaled he was ready for more, but still, he left the choice to her, whether they would move further with their relationship or not.

"No.", she whispered, almost breathlessly. "Stay."

Another small smile crept onto his face, but his intense eyes never left hers. He reached out and laid one of his large hands on her cheek, his thumb slowly caressing her skin and Sam leaned into the touch.

"Are you sure?", he wanted to know.

Sam knew what he was asking. And, to be honest, she had probably never been surer of anything.

"Yes.", she said confidently.

He had closed the last distance between them, before Sam had even processed what had happened. His hand at her cheek shifted, so it cupped her neck and his lips pressed against hers, before Sam knew what was going on. She couldn't help the short tensing up of her body, he had just taken her by surprise, but almost immediately, she relaxed again. She practically melted into his embrace, when his lips began to move teasingly over hers. Her arms reached up almost on their own volition, wrapping around his neck and shoulders and pulling him in to her with as much strength as she could. She could feel him smile against her lips and only now that he was sure she was alright with his advances, she felt his other arm go around her waist, before he pressed his body to hers. Sam groaned quietly and he took the opportunity to slip his tongue into her mouth. Sam reacted instantly and slid her tongue around his, both of them leisurely exploring and familiarizing themselves with the other.

They broke apart, when breathing became an issue and panting, Sam noticed they were still standing in her entrance door's frame. Swallowing, she searched for the right words, while he waited patiently for her to adjust, his thumb having gone back to stroking her cheek.

"Um… want to come in…?", she asked lastly and proud of herself that she even managed to get out some words, Sam wasn't even embarrassed about the rather odd question, given what they were doing.

He smiled down at her, this time an honest, big, open smile she hadn't seen on him all that often until now. "I'd love to.", he answered.

SJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJ

Sam stared at the full-length mirror, an unfamiliar feeling of queasiness taking hold of her stomach. She turned, first to one side, then to the other. She really tried to _like_ what she saw, but over all, she just felt out of place.

God, she had no idea, what her fucking problem was! It wasn't that this was the first time she'd seen this dress, she had chosen it! So what if it was the first time she was wearing it? She had liked it before, had even declared it to be beautiful when she'd spotted it, and it didn't look any different, just because she was wearing it!

So, most likely, her problem wasn't the dress…

Sighing, she reached out and touched her fingers to the cool glass of the mirror, as if she had to assure herself that it was really her the mirror was showing.

Even she had to admit that she was looking beautiful; stunning even. Still, right now she wished she had followed Jack's example and chosen her Dress Blues. At least in them she would feel like herself. But _no_, she just had to decide that for this occasion she wanted to be a woman. Not Captain Carter, but the woman Samantha Carter. Or, to be exact, Samantha O'Neill, in a few minutes.

Again the feeling of nausea washed over her and she clenched her teeth together. She had never had a weak stomach before, but this time Sam was glad she had forgone the breakfast. Inhaling deeply to calm herself, she tried telling herself that this were only the nerves. A rather bad case of nerves, actually. Then again, you didn't marry each day. In fact, it was supposed to be a once-in-a-lifetime-decision, even if, for her husband-to-be, it was the second time already…

Okay, Sam decided suddenly. She needed a chair. Trying her best to not stumble in the unfamiliar high heels over the long hem of her dress she staggered over to the nearest chair and let herself sink onto it, only to realize that she was still sitting in front of the damned mirror. Oh, to hell with it!

She studied herself once more. Sam had chosen a simple, but tight fitted, sleeveless, white wedding dress with a small, lacey strap around her neck and a low cut back, and simple white high heels. For once, Sam had smoothed out the curls her hair always insisted to lay in and given her all with her make-up. Yes, she had to admit, she looked beautiful and all feminine, although she had done her dress, her hair and her make-up herself. Sam didn't have any good female friends to do it for her and her mother was dead. She didn't have any sisters, only a brother, who hadn't come to the wedding and a dad, who had fled the moment she had made preparations to change into her wedding dress.

Yes, she looked as much as a bride as she could and should, and that thought, ironically, made her feel even worse. Her mother had been dead for years, but never had Sam wished for her to be still alive more than she was now. She desperately needed her now. Needed someone, who would calm her and tell her that her cold feet were supposedly normal. Because even if her super-genius mind was aware of it, she couldn't fully convince herself of it and she asked herself, if _that_ was normal. Should she have this many doubts? Shouldn't she be over the moon in joy?

Now Sam felt like crying and only the thought of how long she'd taken to get this frickin' make-up right made her force back the tears.

She had been overjoyed, when Jack had asked her. She had laughed, when he had questioned her three times, if she really was sure, because he couldn't believe that she would actually say yes. She had been so absolutely sure then. She had fully known that they didn't know each other that long and had dated even briefer, but she had never had a doubt that he was the man for her. They may not have years of a relationship behind them, but she felt that with what they had been through in the short time they knew each other, they had gotten closer to each other than mere years could have made them. They had worked through her mother's death and her fiasco of a recent engagement, his failed marriage, the death of his son and his imprisonment in Iraq! Sam thought it to be a pretty big achievement for their fresh relationship.

Sam leaned her head back and let her thoughts travel randomly. Really, they had already been through a lot together and it made their relationship by no means average. Honestly? It hadn't even started as a relationship. At the time they'd met, Sam had had enough of men and Jack had kept his distance to women after his failed marriage. Still, from the beginning on, they had been undeniably attracted to each other, always drawn back to the other. They had had their problems, sure, and mostly it was thanks to their communication with each other, but somehow they always worked it out. Jack wasn't really the type to talk about feelings, much less his own, and Sam had realized pretty early that he held much about himself back. She hadn't pushed him, though, feeling that if he wanted to talk, he would. In hindsight, that might have been, why it worked out between them. They never pressured the other and from the beginning on they could read each other surprisingly well, even with his closed-off behavior, so they didn't _need_ to put everything into words.

And eventually, after months of really dating, of him coming to Washington, whenever he had felt like it, and her flying to Minnesota, when she had had downtime, they had crossed the point of no return. They had both needed to wipe the slate clean and face the demons of their pasts to be able to move on. They had needed weeks, until they had worked through everything and finally felt comfortable with each other again. Their experiences made them each vulnerable and laying them out in the open proved to challenge their young relationship tremendously.

But when they had finally worked through everything, they noticed that their relationship had grown stronger and infinitely more intimate than years of simply knowing each other could have. Neither of them had gotten disappointed or lost faith in the other and their relationship. Now, they understood each other almost instinctively. They had found their safe haven in the other; the person who finally understood them entirely.

So Sam hadn't been too surprised, when he had proposed. Because she had been thinking about marriage herself. She had never deemed herself the type, but suddenly married life with maybe a child or two seemed as desirable as it had never before – and she had been engaged, before…

She had actually enjoyed the weeks of the preparations, had enjoyed the hectic and the stress it caused to organize a wedding, when you were still working overtime most of the days. She had enjoyed getting annoyed by colleagues by questions over what flowers she would choose. She had enjoyed visiting practically every bridal shop Washington had to offer, until she had found the perfect dress (because, yes, she had thought being and looking a woman on her wedding day would be a good idea). And she had enjoyed the arguments with Jack over how many cakes they could get for their wedding…

So why was it that now everything felt so out of place, so… alien to her?

In a sudden fit of emotion, Sam wished for Jack to be with her. He always knew when she was overthinking something and he had an unique ability to make her see, what was truly important. And she could really use his calming presence right now. Somehow, nothing seemed as bad or as threatening, when he was by her side. She was pretty sure, she could face alien forces with him at her side without blinking an eye…

So why wasn't he with her, when she needed him most? Stupid traditions!

They were no traditional couple. Heck, they had slept together in a bed the night before the wedding and they had come to the stupid church together, him carrying half her ridiculous amount of equipment, laughing over how much stuff women needed! So why did he have to stay away from her now? She really wanted to see him! Wanted him to look into her eyes earnestly and then tell her that she was over-dramatizing. She wanted him to laugh at her and call her silly for even worrying–

"Knock, knock?", someone said hesitantly from the door and Sam actually jumped in surprise. She shot around and spotted her dad standing in the half-open door, waiting insecure if he was already welcome.

"Dad…", she said, her voice throaty. God, even _she_ could hear the tears that were threatening to spill! Drama queen, she scolded herself.

"What's wrong?", he said, stepping in and hurrying to her side.

"Nothing.", she tried to reassure him and herself, attempting to smile, which she was sure turned out simply pitiable.

"Kiddo, we might have had a little fall-out lately, but I still know you best.", he admonished gently. "What's wrong?"

She gulped and searched for words. "Is it… is it normal to…?"

She didn't know how to describe it.

He raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Normal to…?", he prompted.

"Normal to… doubt…?", she whispered almost inaudibly. She felt stupid for even asking.

To her surprise, her dad snickered. "That's the problem?", he asked.

She looked at him, trying to judge if he was seriously making fun of her. She was having a moment of emotional distress and he was laughing…?

"Well, Sammie, I'm gonna be honest with you.", he began and she almost snorted. When had her dad not been honest? Sometimes he was too honest for his own good. "Jack's a lot older than you and you've just known him for, what, a year and a half?"

Her mouth set into a grim line, when she understood what he was getting at. They had had this discussion before, why did he need to bring it up again? On her wedding day no less!

"Dad, I told you the age difference doesn't matter to me! It makes no difference for me! And I believe you yourself said that not the time spent together, but the quality of the relationship matters, when I got engaged to Jonas!", she snapped.

Jacob raked a hand through his short hair and suddenly Sam was left contemplating if, maybe, it would have been better, if he hadn't come to the wedding.

"He's Air Force, just like you.", he reminded her.

"So what?", she shot back.

"You really want that? He's Special Forces, so there may come a day, he won't return from a mission…"

"He's _retired_, dad!"

"So he has no job and nothing to do with his life. Is this the kind of man you want?", he asked nonchalantly.

By now, Sam was about to throw something in rage. Really, they had talked about this before, when she had told him she'd gotten engaged, but when he had gotten to know Jack, Sam had had the impression her father liked him! At least way more than any other boyfriend or possible fiancé she'd ever brought home.

"It's his decision, if he wants to retire or not. A decision he has made, before I got to know him, so it's not as if this was news!", she gritted out through clenched teeth.

"So, you're really happy?", her dad asked again.

"_Yes_, dad, I'm happy!", she insisted. "I love Jack very much! And I can't imagine spending my life with any other man!"

Suddenly, her dad smiled up at her warmly. "Then that's all you need, Sammie.", he told her gently. "Cold feet before the wedding are completely normal. It's a huge step after all, no matter how much you are in love. But if you feel that it's the right decision, then you won't have to worry at all."

The sight of his softly smiling face began to blur in front of her eyes, when tears began to swim in her eyes. In a swift movement, she threw herself into his arms, when she realized what he'd done. She had probably never loved her dad more than she did right now.

"Thank you, dad!", she choked out. "Thank you so much for being here with me, today!"

She sniffled. She didn't need friends or a sister here with her. Maybe she still would have loved for her mother to be here, but her father was doing a damn good job standing in for her!

"Anytime, Sammie.", he answered. "I just want you to be happy and honestly? Out of all your rotten choices, Jack's the best I could hope for."

Sam snorted, her shoulders shaking in a mixture of laughter and sniffles. "Thank you, dad.", she said nonetheless, knowing that this was as close to a compliment she would get from her father.

Suddenly, the door behind them opened again and over her dad's shoulder, Sam saw the familiar figure of Charles Kawalsky peek into the room. Jack's close friend and best man hesitated a second, but when he saw that she had noticed him, he announced cheerily: "Um… not that I wanted to disturb you, but I fear the groom's getting anxious his wife-to-be has fled in a case of second thoughts."

Sam jumped up immediately. "Oh my god! What time is it?"

She instantly felt bad for letting Jack wait.

"Relax.", Kawalsky told her patiently. "It's normal for the bride to be fashionably late."

Sam hurried over to the mirror and checked her appearance over once more. She twirled in front of the mirror and, finally, she really liked what she saw. Suddenly, she was glad she had decided on a wedding dress. She threw a quick glance at the really low-cut back and all of a sudden, she couldn't wait for Jack to see her in this dress. He would love it. Which had been one of the reasons, she'd decided on this dress.

"By the way, you look absolutely amazing!", Kawalsky said from the door. "So if you're deciding to ditch Jack, I'm still single…"

Jacob scowled at him. "Sorry, but my daughter has taste and certain standards.", he growled.

Kawalsky grinned, while making his way back to the waiting fiancé. "And she found _that_ in Jack?", he called back good-naturedly.

Sam smiled, finally feeling freed of the weight that had been crushing her chest. Turning back to her father, she found him studying her. Not questioning, but simply waiting patiently.

"Let's go?", he asked her.

She nodded, a sudden feeling of giddy excitement rushing through her. Suddenly, she couldn't wait to get married to Jack. And with her father at her side, who would walk her down the aisle, she made her way towards the man, who had come to mean the world to her.

SJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJ

Sam was in a rush. Really in a rush. She was due to report for her new job in… oh, five minutes ago, and she _really_ hated to be unpunctual! She had worked so hard in the past months to get assigned to this post and she really wanted to make a good impression! Well, guess that wasn't really working with her being late.

Sam cursed her flight for being delayed for the umpteenth time, knowing that that would gain nothing at all. She had called Cheyenne Mountain the moment her feet had touched ground to let them know that she would arrive later as planned and since then had pestered her poor driver to go faster. She hadn't even had the time to skim the reports on the first Stargate mission, even though she had waited months on them! But she had only gotten them, when she had been given orders to Cheyenne Mountain and thus the needed clearance, but then she had been so busy with tying up loose ends at work and the chaos at their home that came with their move to Colorado Springs, that she just hadn't found the time to go over them…

Great. Now she was late _and_ unprepared!

Stressed, she thanked all heavens that Jack had taken care of the whole moving, so at least her entire things had already arrived in Colorado Springs, even well before her. She had planned to be here two days ago actually, so she could see the new house he had chosen for them and spend a bit time with him, before they were both beginning their new jobs. Because, actually two days before she had gotten her new orders, he'd been reactivated. He'd talked about rejoining before, but more something along the lines of teaching the up-and-coming. But then, completely unexpected, he'd been called to Colorado. Not wanting to jeopardize their young marriage, Sam had tried to apply for a post near Colorado Springs, her primary goal of course Cheyenne Mountain, where she could continue studying the Stargate. The paperwork hadn't even been through, when she had been transferred to Colorado Springs as well. They had both been overjoyed and had started planning their new life in Colorado. They had timed it to have a week for them to settle in and enjoy the time they had to themselves, while they still had the opportunity.

And then she had been held back in Washington. The whole damn week! Really, how was the Pentagon going to function without her around anymore…?

Long story short, she hadn't seen her husband in the last days, let alone had talked to him! The moment she had been through the security checks at the airport, she had tried his cell immediately after she had called Cheyenne Mountain, but the call wouldn't connect. He'd probably started with his new job already. And she hadn't even been able to wish him good luck. Sighing, Sam had resigned herself to see him this evening. Hopefully.

The driver finally stopped in front of Cheyenne Mountain's entrance and Sam was ushered from security checkpoint to security checkpoint, trying to stay patient during the whole process. Given, what was hidden within the mountain, she could fully understand the amount of security precautions, but she was seriously lacking the time…

_Finally_, thankfully, she was through and headed down to the lowest level. Hurrying down the long corridors in a haste, Sam took a last effort to smooth down her Dress Blues. Seeing that she would have no time to change in the Mountain, she had decided to put the required garments on in the plane already.

Sam knew she had arrived at the right place, when she heard the familiar voice of George Hammond drift from a room.

"So, where's Captain Carter?", he asked and Sam actually felt elated at hearing the familiar Texan drawl. She really looked forwards to work with the man she had considered a second father since her childhood!

"Carter?", another voice echoed confused, but Sam paid it no attention.

Slowing down to not appear too rushed, she stepped into the room, her eyes immediately going to the well-known figure of Major General George Hammond. She walked up to him, her heels clicking in the complete silence that accompanied her entrance and saluted.

"General Hammond, sir.", she acknowledged him in the utmost professional way. "I am really sorry for the delay. Captain Samantha–"

She didn't get to finish to report, when another, well-known voice cut in incredulous.

"Sam?!", he asked with an unbelieving voice.

Sam swiveled around, her eyes going down the rows of familiar and unfamiliar male faces, until they landed at a figure rising out of his seat at the end of the table.

"Jack?!", she whispered, completely stunned. He had said he had gotten a new assignment he would start today, but never in a million years would she have imagined him to be here, in Cheyenne Mountain!

They both stared at each other dumbfounded and Sam's brain raced in wonder, how that could have happened. They had told each other of their new posts, but they had both been under nondisclosure, preventing them from telling any actual facts. Sam wrecked her brain. Neither of them had suspected even the slightest chance of this happening! Because, really, what were the odds?

And then Sam realized that she could have been warned. Oh, she really should have forgone the sleep in the plane and study those mission reports! By now, glancing down the rows of battle-hardened men, with Kawalsky sitting next to Jack, Sam had a suspicion, whose names would be written in these reports…

And seeing that he was of the highest rank, apart from General Hammond, Sam suddenly realized that Jack had to be the one, who had led the first recon team through the Stargate. Sam paled, when realization hit her. She had been assigned to work under her own husband! And looking into his eyes, she knew, he'd understood as well. And he hadn't known, either.

Oh, s…well. Somebody had screwed up royally.

"Is there a problem?", General Hammond inquired, when he found Colonel O'Neill and Captain Carter in a staring match.

When neither answered immediately, the General prompted: "Colonel O'Neill? Captain Carter?"

Gulping, Sam turned back for him. She felt guilty, before she had even said a word.

"Um… actually, General… it's Captain O'Neill.", she admitted, fighting down another blush.

In the silence that fell upon the room, you could have heard a pin drop. General Hammond and the affiliates from the Pentagon stared at her flabbergasted. Then, Sam heard a chair scrape over the ground and footsteps drawing nearer. Jack came to stand by her side, offering her his support.

General Hammond's eyes switched from one to the other, calculating. "You… are married?", he finally inquired, his voice steely.

Both nodded. "Have been for three months now.", Jack explained.

"Before any of you got their orders?", the General prompted.

"Yes, sir.", Jack confirmed.

"Neither of us knew, the other would be working here.", Sam added.

The General looked highly skeptical.

"Need-to-know only.", Jack clarified. "Neither of us knew the other had the required clearance."

The General nodded. "Well, I will have to talk to the President about this.", he admitted. "Briefing's postponed."

Jack nodded as if that was to be expected, but Sam felt her stomach sink at those words. She held onto her professional face, but couldn't help her thoughts spiraling out of control. She had worked so hard for this job! It was her dream to go through the Stargate! Had she ruined it now?

All around the table the assembled men stood up. A few followed General Hammond, a few approached Jack. Sam took the chance to escape.

Meekly, she wandered back to the large window at the other end of the room. Laying her hand against the cool, bullet-proof glass she looked down onto the impressive Stargate. Her heart clenched painfully. What would she do, when she would be denied to go through it? Would she even be allowed to stay here and work on it…?

She felt someone step up to her and his presence had grown so familiar to her, that she didn't even have to look up to know it was him. He laid his hand against the small of her back and used his large body frame to shield her from the view, when he bent down and pressed a quick kiss on top of her head.

"Worried?", Jack asked.

Sam drew her gaze from the still Stargate and looked up at him. She nodded. "I've worked so hard.", she admitted. "Everything I did was so I could get into this program. And now I may be taken out again…"

He growled slightly. "You won't.", he promised. "Hell, with your brains and knowledge, this program needs you way more than me."

She shook her head. "There're scientists as good as me.", she admitted.

He chuckled. "I highly doubt that."

"No, Jack, there are…", she began, but he interrupted her instantly.

"Carter!", he reprimanded, telling her he was getting annoyed. "Even _if_ – and that's a large if – there was someone as _remotely_ smart as you are out there, then they still needed to be cleared for this, since this is a military operation and I _still_ highly doubt this person exists."

Sam opened her mouth to contradict, when a voice cut in. "You calling your wife by her last name?"

Kawalsky and a man Sam didn't know, stepped up to them. It was the other man that had spoken and was now curiously glancing at her.

"Sam, Major Lou Ferretti.", Jack introduced. "And no, I'm not calling her by her last name or I would call her 'O'Neill'."

Sam shook the Major's hand, who smiled in such a friendly way that she immediately decided, she liked him.

"So you've really remarried?", Ferretti asked, astonished.

"Sure has.", Kawalsky confirmed. "I was at the wedding. Been best man, actually."

Ferretti pouted. "What about me?"

"You had decided to be on a special mission and be unreachable.", Jack shot back good-natured.

"Damn it.", Ferretti cursed. "I knew this mission had been a mistake…"

Sam smiled at seeing the man banter with each other. It was obvious that they knew each other good.

"So, how's married life, Jack?", Kawalsky inquired interestedly.

Jack only grinned, a huge, shit-eating grin that made Sam blush involuntarily.

Kawalsky rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes, I understand."

Suddenly, General Hammond stepped back into the room and immediately, all assembled personnel turned for him.

The General walked up to them. "So, Colonel O'Neill, Captain _O'Neill_.", he began and Sam saw the tiniest hint of a pleased smile cross his features. "The President has decided that you are both too valuable for the program and have too unique abilities and knowledge to be replaceable. And since you are married, regulations allow you to work in the same chain of command."

Sam sighed relieved, but the General continued, his eyes going to her. "Captain, are you sure, you can work under the command of your husband and follow _whatever_ order he gives you?"

Sam trusted Jack with her life and she trusted him to always make the right decision, so it wasn't hard for her to state: "Yes, sir."

"Colonel, are you sure you can give the needed orders, even if the life of your wife is at stake?", the General went on.

Sam could see Jack's eyes darken at the mere thought, but she knew him well enough to be sure about his answer. He could separate their private lives and their military personas, probably much better than she could.

"Yes, sir.", he answered, sure of himself.

The General nodded. "Then welcome to the Stargate Program and congratulations on getting married.", he smiled.

"Thank you, sir.", Sam said sincerely, feeling a heavy weight leave her, when she was finally ensured of her dream coming true. Then, only for the General's ears, she whispered: "I would have loved for you to be there, Uncle George."

The General smiled. "And I've been here, already taking over from General West. You wouldn't have reached me…"

"I tried.", she said.

He nodded, understanding. And then, only for her ears, the General added: "You have chosen well."

Sam smiled, bright and widely.

SJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJ

"_No, Jack, please! Don't leave me!_", she called out frantically.

For a moment, Sam was surprised the words had actually left her mouth. She had been calling out for hours, but since she had no control whatsoever over her body anymore, it had all been in vain. No word had ever left the small corner of her consciousness she had been banned into.

She saw him freeze by the door of the cell room. His hand hanging by his side tightened into a fist, his knuckles turning white with the force he used.

Sam wanted to call out to him, to scream. She wanted to tell him, she was okay – well, mostly, anyways. She wanted to tell him, she was sorry, wanted to tell him she was scared. She wanted to tell him, she loved him. This more than anything else. But apparently the Goa'uld in her was done letting her talk. Her body remained still, her mouth unmoving, while she screamed and fought in her head. On some level, she was surprised she was still conscious enough to be aware of what was happening, but what experiences did they actually have about being taken over by a Goa'uld?

She saw him turning, his dark eyes burning into hers with an unfamiliar hate. He stalked back to where she, or rather her body, stood, separated from him through the bars of her cell. His tense movements revealed the barely concealed rage boiling in his body.

She hated what she was doing to him. He had already lost Kawalsky to a Goa'uld and now her…!

She hated seeing that closed-off, empty mask on his face, when she was used to be one of the very few persons he allowed his emotions to show in their presence.

Again she fought with all she got against the tight hold the Goa'uld had on her body, but it was useless. The snake had completely taken over and Sam had no means of knowing, if that parasite even felt her attempts at rebellion. It gave no indication whatsoever to her presence.

"_**I can give her back to you.**_", the Goa'uld repeated with her strange, warped voice, tempting him.

Sam saw the tiny flicker of hope in Jack's eyes nobody else would have noticed. But it immediately was buried in the carefully erected military persona he was hiding his feelings behind.

Then an almost wild, uncontrolled expression took over his face, making him look sharp and dangerous. He turned halfway, his body pointed towards the cell room's door, while his furious gaze bored into her. Even though she knew him best, Sam wanted to cower at being presented with this much fury, but, of course, the Goa'uld didn't relinquish.

"I will _get_ her back!", he hissed at the Goa'uld confidently, his voice full of dark promises. "You have chosen the wrong woman to possess!"

With this, he turned around and practically stomped from the room. Sam knew he was fleeing as much as he was trying to let off some steam that was bubbling inside him from the rage that was threatening to take over, while he tried to hold onto his sanity. She was practically bleeding for him, feeling his hurt as if it was her own. He'd lost his son and his first wife. He'd lost one of his best friends. Was he now about to lose her too?

Sam didn't fear for her life. If this was the end for her, then so be it. But she feared for him. How would he handle this? How could he?

"_**What else do I have to do…?**_", the Goa'uld mused out loud with her voice, when Jack had left her cell.

Sam ignored it, staring at the closed door. Never in her life had she felt so abandoned. She had seen what had happened to Kawalsky. There was no way they could rescue her. Still, if there was someone who could help her, then it was Jack. She trusted him implicitly, with her life. He would never abandon her. He would help her. He would bring her back. Somehow he had always managed to keep his promises. And she was sure, that was what it had been he had been saying: a promise to her. A promise, so she would hold on and not give up.

So she did, what he needed her to do, as if it had been a clear order from him. She held on, praying that she would get out of it alive. If only for him.

SJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJ

Sam turned, feeling at the same time heavy and weightless. Around her, she could hear the humble drowning of speaking voices, but it was all jumbled and inaudible.

Sam tried to move, only to notice that she couldn't. She felt uncharacteristically weak. With an unimaginable effort, she pried her eyes open, looking drowsily at her surroundings. White. Everything was white. And smelled distinctly of antiseptics. The infirmary.

Sam gazed around and saw her team assembled around her. Daniel stood at the end of her bed, talking with Janet, while waving his hands around frantically.

"You said, there were rapid eye movements, didn't you?", Daniel inquired. "So why can't you just–"

Janet interrupted him, before he could end his sentence. "It's not _that_ easy! I'm not exactly sure about–"

Now it was Daniel's turn to interject. "But from my understanding, it would mean…"

Sam gave up trying to follow her friends in their argument. Her head was way too fuzzy for any lengthy sentences or fast speeches…

Sam let her eyes wander on. Teal'c stood next to Daniel, patiently looking on, while Janet shook her head to whatever Daniel had just said. And next to her bed, in a chair, sat Jack, watching the exchange between the CMO and the archaeologist. His head was turned, but his body was pointing her way and his hand rested on top of her blanket, right next to hers, playing absentmindedly with the blanket underneath.

In an almost automatic reaction her fingers twitched, reaching out for his. He practically jumped, when he felt her fingers brush his and his head swiveled around. His dark eyes zeroed in on her and immediately, Sam felt her world righten. She wanted to say his name, to call out to him, but not even a croak would leave her lips.

"Carter!", he said, sounding surprised. "Nice to have you back amongst the livin'."

She frowned. Carter? That was wrong… Why didn't he call her Sam?

But before she could say something, Janet and Daniel pushed themselves between her and the Colonel. "Sam!", they exclaimed, genuinely happy, before Janet took over: "How do you feel?"

How did she feel? Apart from the confusion she felt… run down.

"Beat?", she rasped with difficulty. "Confused?"

"Well, I would expect.", Janet said, while jotting down notes in her medical file. "You have sustained a serious concussion on your last mission. You've been unconscious for several days!"

Sam swallowed harshly. To her complete surprise, however, it was Daniel, who reached out and handed her a glass with water and a straw. She would have expected Jack to do the honors…

She looked at him, but he was standing passively next to her bed, his eyes sympathetic, but lacking the familiar look of love. His hands were shoved into his pockets. He was only standing mere inches away, but Sam felt as if whole universes were between them. It thoroughly confused her.

"What about…", she tried to remember the mission they had been on. What was the last thing she remembered anyways? "Um… Apophis' ship?"

She remembered being on the ship, held back by a force field, while trying to persuade Jack to leave and save himself. He had refused, though, choosing to rather die at her side than go without her, because he couldn't bear the thought of living on without her…

Quick glances shot back and forth between her teammates.

"Um… Sam… that was about a year ago…", Daniel said uncomfortably.

Now Janet's eyes were positively squinting. She threw the clipboard aside that held Sam's medical file and ordered all out of the infirmary.

"But…!", Daniel protested, while Jack just went out without looking back. Sam felt a pang shoot through her. He wasn't even looking at her! What was wrong…? And while Janet had to practically throw Daniel out, Jack just turned and left.

Finally done, Janet stepped up to her and sat on the edge of Sam's bed.

"What's wrong?", Sam asked her best friend in a small voice. "Why's he leaving? Did I do something wrong? Is he mad at me?"

"Who?", Janet asked perplexed. "Daniel?"

"No.", Sam contradicted. "Jack."

"_Jack?_", Janet echoed, clearly flabbergasted. Sam nodded.

"Sam, he is as allowed to be here, while I examine you, as all the others are: _not_.", Janet elaborated.

Now Sam was really confused. "Why not?", she inquired. He had been present for all the examinations of all the messes she'd gotten herself into over all those years…

Janet fixed her with a hard stare. "Sam, why should I allow a CO to be present during an examination of a subordinate, even more so if that subordinate is female?"

Sam looked at her incredulously. "Because he's not only my CO!", she said indignantly. "And you know that!"

By now, Janet looked thoroughly confused. "I don't know what you mean, Sam…", she said, clearly at a loss.

Sam sighed, feeling a monster headache approach. "Janet, he is my husband. He has every right to be here and know."

And, maybe, she would be really glad for his presence and support right now. She needed him.

Now, Janet's eyes turned positively sad and her voice was more than sympathetic, when she asked: "Sam, did you dream? This is not uncommon, when being unconscious for such a long time…"

"No, I…!", Sam began, but immediately felt all reassurance drain from her. Memories stormed her brain. Memories of her reading the actual mission reports to Abydos in her lab at the Pentagon. Memories of her reporting to Jack in the briefing room in front of General Hammond and his team. Memories of them going through the Stargate together for the first time, he still being wary of her, because she was a scientist. Memories of uncountable missions they had mastered together, but always at the demanded distance. But in all the memories that flooded her mind wasn't a single one that included him touching her in that reassuring way, one where he kissed her with the love he held for her or even one where they returned together to their home in Colorado Springs. Because she lived alone. As did he. They weren't married, weren't even together. They had nothing but a work relationship.

Sam couldn't help it. The moment she realized that the fantastic life she had believed to have was nothing but a dream her muddled brain had conjured up in her unconsciousness, she burst into tears. She physically hurt because of the loss of the perfect relationship with the man she loved more than anything that hadn't even existed. She had lost everything, without even possessing it in the first place.

Silently, Janet placed her hand on Sam's shoulder, offering her her silent support. She had no idea, what Sam was going through, but seeing her friend weep in such an obvious and uncontrolled way was so uncharacteristic for the brilliant woman that Janet could guess on her distress.

Shuffling up to sit next to her friend, Janet placed an arm around her shoulders and drew the crying woman against her. Sighing, the CMO spoke into her hair: "For all it's worth, Sam, I'm really sorry…"

Sam snorted dryly in a defeated manner. "Yeah, me, too."


	21. Fate

_**Author's notes:**__ Beware people, this time they're gonna be a bit longer, 'cause I have to say a few things._

_First of all, woohoo, I'm nominated for the Sam and Jack Multimedia Awards in the category 'author'! That's just so freaking awesome! I'm actually over the moon in joy! Thank you so much to the person/people who have nominated me!_

_And btw, __**to Cyced**__: yeah, links don't work on ffnet, but when I saw the blank space, I assumed you wanted to send me a link, so I googled the SJMAs and now I have at least a rough understanding what they are._

_**To Tinkerbelletink**__, who made me a huge compliment: yep, I do have more. And I will get 'em up bit by bit when I'm through with 'Around the regs'. However, a few stories aren't finished yet and I will not post anything that's unfinished, because being a reader myself I know there is nothing more frustrating than a story that just stops in the middle. So I need to end them first and then they almost all need a bit reworking, line-editing, spell-checking and proof-reading. But, yeah, I will continue with other stories!_

_So, going by the reactions I got for the last chapter, I'm apparently evil. Somehow, I expected that. I actually felt bad myself for what I put Sam through, if that placates you! But not all can end with roses and cookies…_

_That being said, I'm returning with another attempt at fluff and humor! Enjoy!_

_**Around the regs**_

_Chapter Twenty-One: Fate_

The familiar alarms blaring in the Stargate room were as usual the first things Jack became aware of when he stepped out of the wormhole. There were the usual _clicks_ and _clangs_ of weapons being raised, and, accordingly, he was presented with the sight of security personnel pointing various guns at him. He heard the familiar metallic sounds of his team landing right behind him on the ramp, and then the loud noise of the Stargate shutting down. Still, _nothing_ of that could drown out the light chuckling behind him he had grown hateful of pretty fast in the last few hours. Trying his best to ignore it, he stalked rigidly down the ramp towards General Hammond, who just entered the Stargate room.

"General!", he acknowledged through tightly clenched teeth, while a suppressed snort sounded out behind him. Seriously, by now Jack was tempted to turn around and throw his ground-rule of bringing back his team preferably unharmed out of the window. The urge to physically hurt Daniel was overwhelming and the fact that he was already trying to withstand it for hours was not helping his case.

"SG-1.", General Hammond greeted back, before raising an eyebrow questioningly, when Daniel Jackson snickered again.

This time Jack really did turn around to shoot him a nasty glare. To his complete dismay this only seemed to fuel the archaeologist's amusement and Daniel began to downright laugh out loud. Next to him Teal'c smiled secretly with an expression on his face that gave nothing away. Jack nearly dreaded it, but he worked up the courage to chance a fleeting gaze at his 2IC. Sam stood stiff, her eyes rooted firmly to General Hammond and her fingers were drumming on the handle of her P90, a sign of her mixed nervousness and annoyance. She was avoiding his gaze as much as he had avoided hers.

Sighing, Jack turned back for General Hammond, but not without glaring peeved at Daniel once more, just for good measure. By now the guy he once _considered_ one of his best friends was holding his side with a pained look, while gusts of laughter still burst out of him uncontrolled.

"Colonel…?", General Hammond asked, while looking pointedly at Daniel to indicate his astonishment at the very unusual behavior.

"Oh, please ignore him, sir.", Jack advised. "He's just signing his death sentence."

Daniel began laughing again, and Jack could practically see, what the guy was thinking of, even without having to see the archaeologist face-to-face. Jack's eyebrow began to twitch in unrestrained annoyance and anger, and he seriously contemplated swirling around and packing a bunch on his friend, just to get him to shut up already!

Surprisingly, General Hammond went with Jack's advice, ignored Daniel and asked: "I assume, your mission was a success, since you're all here, unharmed, and P8C-051 is still circling its orbit?"

Jack shifted his weight to the other feet, his hands routinely fingering his P90, while Daniel tried to tame it down to a light snickering behind him. Laying emphasis on _trying_.

"Yes. We got the scene under control, eventually.", the Colonel reported, trying – and failing – for the umpteenth time to ignore his annoying teammate behind him.

General Hammond's smile widened proudly, not picking up (or not giving away that he did pick up) on the Colonel's irritation with his friend. "Not that I doubted your abilities, but even for SG-1 this was an unbelievably difficult situation. How did you manage to save the planet's core from blowing up?", General Hammond inquired generously interested.

"Ah, actually, it was Carter, who saved our six'… again.", Jack admitted.

"Really?", the General asked astonished, looking every bit as proud of the Major as Jack felt. Jack didn't need to look at his 2IC to know that she was blushing right now.

"To be honest, sir, it wasn't my doing alone…", Sam tried to play it down instantaneously.

"Wrong, Carter.", Jack flat-out denied her immediately. "To be exact, it was _all_ your doing."

"What is that supposed to mean?", General Hammond asked confused.

"It means it took two Sams to work it out, but they got it done.", Daniel explained surprisingly audible through his heaving breathing and laughing spurts.

"Two Sams?", General Hammond echoed disbelievingly.

Jack wanted to shoot Daniel. Couldn't he at least have waited until they were at the debriefing? Did he have to bring it up in the damn 'Gate room with dozens of unneeded spectators? Nooo, apparently the impatient archaeologist had run out of endurance and was dying to share his fun with someone…!

"Yes!", Daniel exclaimed gleefully. "You see, General, we've made contact with another parallel universe!"

General Hammond's eyes widened with surprise. "Really?", he inquired. "What was this world like?"

"Oh, it was pretty much like ours.", Daniel explained with a suspiciously innocent tone, before he began to tick off a few factors that seemed to constantly change with every parallel universe they encountered: "You were running the SGC, General Hammond, the existence of the Stargate was unknown to the public, Jack was in charge of SG-1, Teal'c was good – for once – and I was alive. Nice change, by the way…"

Yeah, that had been too bad, Jack pondered crossly. Nothing that couldn't be changed however, even if he had to do it in _this_ reality. He could live with that, he was sure of it.

Daniel continued his enumeration unimpressed and unaware of Jack's plotting: "… Charles Kawalsky was also alive, and Sam was military again. The only real difference we encountered was that Sam was not a part of SG-1. She was 2IC to Kawalsky on SG-2, and a Major Lee was putting up with Jack on SG-1…"

General Hammond raised an eyebrow in astonishment. "Well, for a world where everything seems to go like here, it seems a rather huge difference, doesn't it?", the General asked contemplating. "Because after all, where we stand today with our achievements is due to SG-1 being made of the four of you…"

If possible, Jack could hear the satisfaction drip from Daniel's voice: "Oh, from what we've gathered, their Sam had long been a member of SG-1, before transferring onto another team, essentially experiencing most of our adventures with their SG-1."

General Hammond looked on questioningly and Jack prayed inwardly that he would _not_ ask right now, why this Sam had decided on doing that! The General shot a quick glance at Jack, but seemingly, Jack had run out of all luck today.

"Why would Major Carter do something like that…?", the General asked confused, looking at Sam for clarification, as if she was expected to know the reasons behind the mysterious behavior of her twin.

Sam sighed deeply, while Daniel was shaking with stifled laughter once more.

"She wasn't Major Carter, sir.", Sam explained with resignation in her voice.

Jack braced himself for _a lot_ of jokes on his cost, when General Hammond's expression grew confused and he stated: "I don't understand…?"

Sam mumbled lowly, but clearly audible in the quiet of the 'Gate room: "She was Major O'Neill. She left SG-1 to marry Colonel O'Neill…"

The leisure quiet of the Stargate room was immediately replaced with stunned silence, all inquiring eyes on Jack and Sam, when Daniel burst out laughing once again. Jack didn't need to glance at Sam to know she had lowered her head to hide her blush, so he took it upon himself to leave his head raised, glaring at all personnel assembled to _dare_ make their fun of them for that! It was bad enough he had to put up with Daniel for hours on end since the archaeologist had picked up on the very different name badge on the other Major Carter's – _O'Neill's_, fer cryin' out loud! – protection vest!

General Hammond sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose tiredly. "This seems to be a longer story…", he concluded and then ordered: "Get your post-mission exams, we'll debrief in half an hour. Dismissed."

"Yes, sir.", Jack and Sam confirmed routinely.

Unsurprisingly, at least half of SG-1 was in an unusual hurry to get to the infirmary. Without wasting a second, Jack and Sam went to dump their gear onto an Airman, desperate to get away before the rumors would circle through the SGC. Together with Daniel and Teal'c, they left the Stargate room, immediately falling into one of their habitual ways of walking: Teal'c and Daniel leading the way and Sam and Jack bringing up the rear. Daniel was continually glancing back at them, snickering amusedly, which made Jack quickly miss the feel of his faithful P90.

"Will you shut the fuck up already?!", the Colonel hissed uncharacteristically, losing what last patience he had still held onto with the archaeologist.

"I can't help it!", Daniel defended himself giggling. Glancing back at the fuming Jack, Daniel inquired: "Did you ever wonder if the universe is… trying to tell you something?"

Jack bit down hard on the inside of his cheek. "No!", he snapped.

"Really?", Daniel stated amazed. "I mean, come on! How many parallel universes or alternative realities have we encountered until now?"

Jack refused to give an answer to that, already knowing where this would lead, and unsurprisingly, Sam stayed silent, too. Jutting his lower lip out in a pout, Daniel turned for Teal'c with an expectant gaze.

"I believe it to be seven, Daniel Jackson.", Teal'c answered unfailingly.

"Aaaand in how many of those seven alternative realities were Jack and Sam married?", Daniel inquired innocently.

"They were married in three of those realities.", Teal'c stated truthfully.

Jack gritted his teeth, not able to refrain from glancing at Sam worriedly. Her face was suspiciously blank, not giving off any indication to what she was feeling right now.

"Aaaand in how many of those realities were they engaged to each other?", Daniel went on mercilessly.

"Two.", came Teal'c's answer immediately.

"Aaand in how many realities were they in a romantic relationship of any sort?", Daniel almost sang.

By now Jack was counting backwards to try and regain his patience with the annoyance of a man he called a friend. He could forgive Daniel a lot, and he often did, but this time, the archaeologist was dancing on a fine line!

"They were romantically involved in two of those realities.", Teal'c said unwavering.

"Sooo that makes them a couple in how many of those seven realities…?", Daniel teased, obviously enjoying himself.

"All of them.", Teal'c answered, although it clearly was a question that didn't need an answer.

Daniel snorted, looking directly at Jack. "And you're still thinking, fate isn't sending you a few hints?"

Jack stared back firmly. "Yes.", he stated.

Daniel threw him a disbelieving look that evidently said '_suit yourself_' and sped up towards the infirmary. Jack really hoped he had gotten bored with the topic by now and would _finally_ let them off. His patience was draining rapidly and he really didn't want to do or say something he would later on be forced to apologize for!

Teal'c followed their friend with an amused look and effectively left Jack to walk with Sam.

For a moment they crossed the empty corridors in a tense silence, before Sam asked humbly: "You really think this is purely coincidental, sir?"

He gazed at her questioningly and she blushed. "I mean… sir, what if Daniel's right? What if the universe is really trying to tell us something…?", she tried to explain.

Wrong, Jack thought sarcastically. The universe wasn't _trying_ to _tell_ them something, it was more like it was waving with neon signs, nothing but short off whacking them over their heads painfully with those signs…

"Then it still doesn't have to mean anything for us!", Jack stated determined, growing more than tired of this conversation.

"Oh…", Sam mumbled, casting her eyes onto the floor.

For a moment, Jack was stunned. He almost faltered in his step, when he asked incredulously: "Did you _want_ it to mean anything?"

Sam nearly shied away from him. "No! I mean, I… I don't know.", she admitted confused.

But, astonishingly, he knew what she meant. He wanted to see it as a sign that, maybe, they were destined to be as well, all the while fearing what it would mean, if it actually _were_ like that…

Silently, they walked a short distance, before he asked: "If in those seven realities… we would have hated each other… would it have meant anything to you?"

Sam's head shot up, her shocked gaze boring into his analyzing one. "No!", she stated passionately.

"Really?", he insisted inquisitively.

"Yes!", she exclaimed. "Whatever their relationship might have been, it would not have changed anything about the way I see you…"

She snapped her mouth shut, slightly blushing, when she realized, what she had said, but he didn't acknowledge it anyway. "See?", he asked quietly. "It doesn't have to mean anything for us."

A disappointed expression crossed Sam's face and he knew immediately, she was upset.

"Maybe it just isn't meant to be…", she whispered, sounding sad.

Jack really felt in need of a beer by now. He resisted the urge to rub his eyes exhaustedly. He _hated_ for Sam to sound so unhappy…

Reaching out he laid his glove-covered hand on her cheek, running his fingertips over the smooth skin soothingly. She looked at him, surprised by the unusual show of affection from him, but the unhappy expression was gone. He could feel himself already giving in to her, opening up, just so she would stop being sad.

"Maybe it just isn't the right time _now_…", he stated emphasized, before lowering his hand, because they were quickly approaching the infirmary, but not without running his fingers along her neck longingly, before letting go of her.

* * *

_A/N: So, I know I've gone a bit overboard with the amount of AUs, but consider it writer's freedom. But I just _had_ to comment on that! I mean, talk about being obvious…!_


	22. Explosion

_**Author's note:**__ Again, thank you all for your support and your congratulations! But I think I have to clarify that, while I have been nominated, I'm not necessarily chosen for the SJMAs. Still, I appreciate the gesture and feel honored to have been nominated!_

_And I want to apologize for the delay in posting another chapter. It's been a horrible week that ended with a writer's nightmare: my laptop crashed. But thankfully, it's gotten fixed and is up running again!_

_So, on with the show…_

_**Around the regs**_

_Chapter Twenty-two: Explosion_

"O'Neill, the way out is clear!", Teal'c reported from a narrow, worn-out stone corridor at the end of the large hall that was between them.

Jack looked over to him briefly and gave a curt nod the Jaffa would surely see despite the number of columns zigzagging through the large hall. For a moment, the Colonel let up from the heavy shooting he did with his USAS-12 shotgun and with one hand he grabbed for a new magazine, before he shoved Daniel, who'd been waiting next to him, not-so-gently into the large, empty hall.

With a hard movement, Jack slammed the magazine into its intended place and yelled at Daniel: "Go!".

The archaeologist gaped at him, not understanding. "But Jack…!", he protested.

Jack scowled at him displeased. He _really_ lacked the time to argue with him right now!

"Teal'c!", he called out. "Take Daniel and go! Go straight to the Stargate! We'll be right behind you!"

"Jack!", Daniel tried anew, when Teal'c stoically made his way back through the hall to collect the stubborn linguist. Rapid gunfire was heard further down the hall Jack was guarding alertly.

"Daniel, we're getting overrun here!", Jack reminded him, having to shout over the noise to be heard. "Get the hell outta here and back to the SGC!"

His friend looked at him, clearly torn, his arms clutching the device to him, which had been the only reason they had come to this planet in the first place. And Jack was determined to not leave without it or their whole effort would have been for nothing.

"Go!", he ordered once more. "We'll hold them off!"

Before Daniel could answer anything, Teal'c had arrived at their sides and gently took hold of the archaeologist's upper arm.

"Daniel Jackson.", he intoned calmly in spite of all the chaos around them.

"Fine.", Daniel agreed in a tone that told Jack he would sulk about this for quite some time afterwards and that he would very much make sure that Jack was aware of that. Still, he had other problems right now.

Jack watched Teal'c usher Daniel forwards and then observed his friends sprinting through the large hall and disappear down the small hallway. As soon as he thought his friends in relatively safety, Jack turned back to the corridor he was securing. Shuffling his heavy weapon slightly to a better position against his shoulder, he glanced down the eerily empty corridor and then called out loudly: "CARTER!"

His 2IC crouched a few dozen feet down the corridor at a curve, her never-letting up P90 shooting down whatever dared to approach them. Immediately, upon hearing his order, the gunfire sounds stopped and Jack raised his weapon. Not a second later she sprinted down the corridor, her feet crunching on the innumerable tiny blocks strewn everywhere in the corridor. She didn't look back, but trusted him to have her back. Which he had. Of course.

She ducked through the rectangular hole next to him that served as an entrance to the hall. The tell-tale mechanical crawling sounds of their enemies echoed down the hallway and Jack gritted his teeth, preparing for the unavoidable encounter. At his side, Sam fumbled in the pockets of her protection vest, until she took hold of a small C4 block. Jamming a detonator into the plastic, she rammed it against the entrance frame, where it glued on.

"Sir!", she called out urgently.

At just this moment, Jack saw their enemy round the corner. Replicator after mechanical replicator crawled down the corridor and along the walls fast. He shot down one or two, but then ducked into the hall and pushing Carter along in front of him, he ran.

"Blow it up!", he commanded and the immediate resounding noise and the heat flaring out behind him told him she'd followed his order.

In the middle of the hall they slowed down, merely jogging over to the narrow hallway that led away from the unused hall. Jack maneuvered his way through the various columns that led to the high ceiling, not once looking back. He knew their little diversion wouldn't stop those annoying things, it would only delay them for a while. So his only goal was to get out of this god-forsaken hellhole of a temple as soon as possible and join Daniel and Teal'c at the SGC.

That was until Sam ground to a sudden halt in front of him. Jack actually rushed by her into the hallway, before his reactions followed her unexpected lead.

"Carter…?!", he prompted irritated, when he stopped. To his annoyance, she didn't even look at him but was rather studying something at the ceiling.

"Sir, do you see this?", she asked, pointing up at something.

He shot a quick glance upwards, but failed to see, what could be so interesting about a ceiling.

"Stone.", he deadpanned, about to lose his patience.

She nodded and then pointed up to something right above his head. A straight line ran through the bricks of stone that made up the exit frame that led to the hallway.

"Carter…!", he warned, informing her that both, time and his patience, were running out.

"Sir, this is an annex!", she exclaimed, sounding excited.

"So what?", he shot back, raising an eyebrow skeptically.

She huffed. "They extended the building.", she explained hastily. "We could use that to our advantage!"

When he still failed to react to that in any way, she sighed and continued: "Sir, we could blast the hall. It would effectively cut off the replicators' way and we would have all the time we need to escape."

He opened his mouth to poke holes in her suggestion, when she cut in smoothly: "No, sir, we wouldn't have to worry. Since this is an annex, we wouldn't endanger the stability of the other building by blowing up this one, even though they are directly connected."

Hm, interesting. This really could work and having the time to jog back to the Stargate without having to look over his shoulder every two seconds sounded… well, appealing. So he nodded his consent. "Alright, but be quick!"

She was gone, before he'd ended the sentence. He saw her hurry through the columns, attaching different kinds of C4 blocks to them. Meanwhile, Jack turned back to the pile of stones and bricks that had once been the entrance. He could hear the crawling and clicking sounds of the replicators through the half-destroyed wall and then there was a suspicious sizzling noise…

"_Shit!_", he cursed inwardly, before saying out loud: "Get a move on, Carter! Those beasts are burning their way through!"

"Yes, sir!", she confirmed in her concentrated way. He heard her work frantically for a while, before she finally called back: "Done!".

He didn't waste a second, but sprinted to where she was waiting for him at the exit, all but shoving her through it before himself. They landed in a tight hallway, merely wide enough to accommodate them both side-by-side and just high enough that Jack didn't have to worry about bumping his head as long as he wasn't jumping up for some reason.

Carter halted as soon as she was through the exit frame and then pressed herself with her back against the wall right next to the frame.

"Carter?", he asked irritated, when he had to slow to a stop, too, once again.

She shook her head. "No timers, sir.", she explained hastily.

He looked down at her hands and indeed saw remote detonators placed between her delicate fingers.

"Why?", he asked, slightly angered that she was delaying their departure once more.

"Sir, if we wait, until the replicators have reached the hall, we could take them down with the explosions!"

_God_, sometimes, he _hated_ her logic mind! Yes, of course, she was right and yes, of course, that should be what they should do. They should take out as much of those monsters as they could when they – like now – had the chance. And he knew that if they wanted to take out the replicators to avoid this plague to spread over the galaxy, then they needed to catch the exact moment for the explosions to go off and, _of course_, they couldn't do that with timers. They needed to activate the C4 by hand in the best possible moment. And for that they had to stay close and observe.

"For crying out loud!", he swore, while he yanked down his cap to give it a good crush, simultaneously raking a hand through his unruly hair.

The familiar clicking sounds of the first replicators making their way into the hall made him place the cap back on his head hastily, though. He stepped up to Carter, close enough to invade her personal space so he could hide in the tiny space next to the frame with her, and silently they waited. The crawling sounds doubled and increased by the second and Jack had to tamp down on the urge to turn tail and run. He really hated those things! Wasn't it time already to send those pests to the afterlife, if machines had something like that…?

"Carter…?", he whispered. Since he was standing close enough that he was practically speaking into her hair, he didn't have to raise his voice above a breath.

"Not yet, sir.", she answered just as quietly, her breath blowing over the skin on his throat.

Not yet?! What was she waiting for? The first replicator to round the exit's frame they were hiding behind to say hello? By now uncountable rattling sounds were ricocheting from the hall's walls, making Jack's ears ring with the hated sound and have him lose any overview of how much there really were. But it wasn't sounding as if he'd wanted to stay around to count them…

They really should get the hell out of here! The sooner the better!

Jack shifted slightly. Instantly, Carter adjusted to him and raising her head slightly, she spoke up right beneath his ear.

"Sir…", she whispered. "There's a time window we have to sit out…"

He knew exactly what she meant. He had no idea, how much C4 Carter had actually glued to the columns, but he estimated it to be a lot. They wanted to take out the replicators in the first try and couldn't chance even one to get out of it alive, so she'd probably used a bit more than strictly necessary. Better safe than sorry, after all. But that many explosives also meant a rather large detonation going off right next to them. And Jack knew what that meant. The explosion would probably give the building they were hiding in a good shake, which could cause some minor damage. Carter was surely right to state that the building itself wouldn't collapse, but that didn't mean that there weren't a few stones due to come down for their heads. And then there was the issue of heat and oxygen. An explosion of this size would produce plenty heat, liable to start up a fire if it found something burnable, but at least it would cause a massive heat wave. And this heat wave would naturally take the line of the least resistance, which meant it would head their way. Lastly, the explosion would about suck up all the oxygen it would find to power up to its destructive force.

And this were three good reasons why they had to stay where they were, in the relatively safety their corner provided, until all those fatal forces had bypassed them. They needed to wait until the detonation had done their deed, the building had stabilized itself once more and fresh oxygen would have returned into the hallway.

He lowered his head in the slightest hint of a nod. "How long?", he murmured back.

He didn't need to see Carter's face to know by the second of hesitation that she was calculating in her head. "Hard to tell.", she finally admitted. "A minute, maybe two."

He nodded, this time clearly noticeable. That wasn't that long. They could sit it out without problems.

Another second passed, where neither of them said a word, the silence only interrupted by the mechanical sounds of the replicators filling every corner of the hall behind them.

Then, Carter whispered: "Okay, sir. It's time."

He lowered his head, so he was able to look at her properly and her blue eyes looked right back, for once hard as steel. For the split of a second he looked down towards her hands, which held three remote detonators, but his eyes immediately returned to her face.

"Blow 'em to hell, Major.", he ordered.

Her eyes never left his, when she pressed the remote buttons one after the other. Jack knew exactly, what she was doing. The first rows of columns she was blowing up were the ones closest to them, halting the replicators from their advance. The next ones to go were the ones farthest in the back, cutting off their way out. The last and final blast would take down all other columns, getting the ceiling to collapse on top of the replicators, hopefully taking them down all at once.

Jack heard the sounds of the explosions. Then gigantic waves of unbearably hot air pressed by them, throwing dust, debris and pieces of stone at them with force. He could literally feel the air getting sucked out of their environment, replacing it with heat. The ground beneath them shook madly and made them hold onto the sturdy wall behind them. Carter's remote controls clattered to the ground, when she thrust out her hands to stabilize herself in the mad shaking of the room. Jack heard fires start up, most likely on the wooden roof framework that had come down with the stone, and even more heat wafted over to them from the collapsed hall.

Jack's pulse raced and he could feel his blood speed through his body from the adrenaline rush the detonation had induced in his body. Jack's mouth opened in the frantic try to get more oxygen into his body, all the while knowing that that wouldn't help him in any way. He had to wait for the oxygen to get sucked back in from the outside. Still, he saw Carter do the same.

A strange, lightheaded feeling was starting to take over his mind and he felt bizarrely excited. He knew it was a combination of the adrenaline pumping through his body and the lack of oxygen his lungs were dealing with for the time being, so it was merely an illusion that made him feel so… _good_. Still, he felt all-over-the-top good, almost high.

He felt an involuntary grin creep over his features and a chuckle escaped his lips to which Carter moved. She leaned the tiniest bit back so that her head rested against the cool stone, allowing him full sight of her face. During the detonations, Jack had unknowingly stepped even closer to her, his broad back shielding him and her from the worst of the explosions. Still, his eyes had never left hers. And she hadn't looked away for a second either. So he knew immediately she was feeling as influenced as he was right now, a similar stupid grin tucking on her lips.

They were both panting, trying to get the last available oxygen into their lungs, but the hot, stale air made it quite difficult. Because of their close proximity, he felt her upper body move, her chest heaving and pressing against him, while she tried to suck in air. Heat fanned around them and Jack could feel sweat break out on his back and face. Tiny beads of sweat were also running down Carter's temples.

He stared down at her. Her face was flushed from the accelerated blood flow through her system the adrenaline had induced and her eyes were opened wide, a thrilled spark lighting them up he hadn't seen on her often. She was breathtakingly beautiful, even more so than usual. She looked so stunningly alive, so delighted with what was happening around them that he was asking himself how much of that picture was actually made up by his befuddled brain or was really herself enjoying the massive detonation she'd caused.

For a moment they stood pressed against each other, only inhaling, their gazes locked tightly. Then, and afterwards Jack seriously asked himself how that could have happened, he lost all control. Before he knew it, he'd pressed even closer, lowered his head down to hers and taken her lips in a fiery kiss. She gasped, but immediately responded to his caress. Her hands shot up and took hold of his jaw, pulling him closer to her, while she dipped her head to the side, intensifying the kiss all the more. Their lips moved frantically over each other's, sucking, pulling, stroking. Oxygen was a serious issue, but that was it nonetheless, so neither of them bothered with breathing at all.

One of her hands wound into his short strands of hair and he groaned. She instantly used the opportunity and snaked her tongue into his mouth. He returned the kiss with the same passion, not letting up in the slightest. In fact, he couldn't get enough of it, couldn't get near enough to her. Actually, he couldn't feel very much of her, because he was separated from her by her P90, his USAS-12, their protection vests and their BDUs, and he _hated_ it. The urge to throw down their weapons and let their clothes follow straightaway was overwhelming, but with a heroic effort he kept it in check. Unfortunately, this was neither the time nor the place…

His hands wandered to her waist, but again her weapon holsters were in the way, so he let them trail to the back of her thighs, where, _finally_, only her pants prevented him from direct skin-to-skin contact. It was as close as he could get right now. His large hands settled against the back of her thighs, his thumbs leisurely stroking over the rough fabric of her pants. She moaned in response and then got onto her toes to inch even closer to him, if that was even possible. She tilted her hips ever-so-slightly to remain in balance and thus brought them into intimate contact with his. He almost cursed out loud, but the fact that his mouth was very much occupied and he intended to keep it that way prevented that.

Suddenly, a wave of cool, fresh air hit them, battling away the hot, used-up air. Oxygen rushed around their heads all of a sudden and simultaneously they both leaned back to inhale.

Jack felt his head clear immediately and all thoughts of what they were actually doing here return to him. Their mission. Their return to the SGC. The replicators. Jack listened closely, but he couldn't hear a single clicking or crawling sound. Still he wasn't fond of waiting for eventual back-up to arrive. Before Carter had a chance to do something or he could even think of continuing where they'd left of, he grabbed her by the wrist and began dragging her down the deserted hallway. She didn't protest, but merely followed him. It didn't take long until the hallway led them into another large entrance hall and when they had crossed it they walked right out into the forest that led to the Stargate.

Silently, they began to jog side by side through the forest. From time to time Jack chanced a quick glance at his 2IC. She now wore a concentrated, alert look, but the flush from the adrenaline and their… kissing session hadn't subsided yet. She still looked so stunning and alive that it took all his Special-Forces-trained determination to focus on the task at hand: getting back to base.

While marching towards the Stargate with such a fast pace that Carter next to him almost had to full-out run to keep up with him, Jack figured that he should be the last person to be around Carter if she had to do such a high-scale explosion ever again. Because it was so infinitely _hot_ he had trouble controlling himself. And he was not talking about the detonation heat here…

No, if he'd be around the next time she blew something this big up and even were remotely close to her, he'd surely do something very, _very_ stupid that would get them in a court-martial faster than the air could return.

She suddenly noticed his gaze and looked directly at him, smiling way too innocent. She'd probably guessed his thoughts or they were written clearly on his face, but ultimately, she knew what was going through his head. And going by the not-at-all indignant glance she was shooting him, she didn't mind. At all.

God, he wanted to groan. Did she have any idea, what she was doing to him? He'd be in for uncountable cold showers in the foreseeable future…

* * *

_A/N: Yeah, no way would something like that ever happen in the show, but I always suspected Jack likes Sam's slight adrenaline-craving character traits…_


	23. Dance

_**Author's note**__: Again, another longer delay. So sorry about that, but I was still fighting with my laptop. Hopefully, we're _now_ done._

_So, as an apology, two chapters at once. And we'll start out with a little bit of team fluff._

_**Around the regs**_

_Chapter Twenty-three: Dance_

"Tell me again… why am I here with you…?", Jack asked, having to raise his voice to be able to shout over the drumming bass.

Sitting next to him in the dim, secluded booth Daniel Jackson sat down his bottle of Guinness, next to the one Jack was currently picking the label off. Across from them sat Teal'c, drinking a fruit cocktail and glancing around the club with amused, interested eyes.

"Well…", Daniel answered hesitantly, obviously not that keen on having to deal with Jack's mood – again. "Essentially it was your idea that we have a team night…"

"So… why are we not having that team night?", Jack growled.

"I was under the assumption that we do, right now?", Teal'c joined the conversation without looking away from the dance floor.

Jack began rolling his bottle of beer around in his fingers. "A team night is supposed to include the _whole_ team.", he said grouchily.

"Well, there's nothing we could do, is there?", Daniel shrugged. "We did invite Sam after all."

Yeah, they did, Jack grumbled inwardly. He could still see her regretful gaze, when she had checked the date and seen that…

"But I believe Major Carter is to join the girl's night today.", Teal'c reminded them kindly.

"_A_ girl's night.", Daniel corrected automatically, and, upon seeing Teal'c's confused gaze, launched into an explanation immediately: "A girl's night is something like… a socially motivated event, where a few women come together to celebrate their friendship and basically being women, by going out and having fun together, without the company of male friends, partners or husbands."

"I understand.", Teal'c announced, which made Jack raise an eyebrow.

"Really? You do?", he asked, while gulping down the last remnants of his beer. He really couldn't understand the appeal of a girl's night out compared to their team nights. But that may simply be, because the team night ensured Sam was with him rather than somewhere else with whomever.

Teal'c nodded solemnly to Jack's question, as always taking him serious, when Daniel already knew to ignore his sarcasm.

"What is to be done on such a girl's night?", Teal'c asked, his curiosity with the Tau'ri rituals clearly audible in his voice.

Jack shrugged. "Never been on one, so no idea."

Daniel thought about the question for a moment and then set to answer: "I've never been to one either, but as far as I'm informed, the women generally go out, wearing something fancy, drink and dance, and try to attract male attention…"

Jack tried not to choke at the 'attract male attention' part. He really did not want to imagine Carter being in some bar and looking her stunning self, while all men present would drool over her, or he would be tempted to throw his bottle in a childish fit of temper.

"I see.", Teal'c stated once again. "Then I presume we are having the male equivalent of a girl's night out?"

Jack rolled his eyes. Fine way of pronouncing it, buddy, he thought ironically.

Daniel coughed, slightly surprised, but then thought it over and said: "Well, in a way, I guess we are…"

Teal'c nodded satisfied, and Jack couldn't help himself: "Which, again, makes me wonder, how _I_ have gotten here!"

Daniel was getting annoyed at him – he could tell – when the younger man sighed exasperated: "Again, as far as I know it was your brilliant idea to 'have some fun, when Carter's having some on her own'."

Yeah, Jack remembered, but this? This was not what he did have in mind, although he wasn't so sure, what that had been in the first place…

"Well, and then again, Teal'c has been asking for some time to get to know what this _clubbing_ is about…", Daniel mumbled on.

Aha, that explained why they were here instead of some nice, quiet place – say something like his veranda – where he didn't get a headache from the music. Setting down his empty bottle, Jack reached for the next one. Daniel had been wise enough to get more than half a dozen bottles at once, and now Jack was well into his forth. This day just sucked, and wasn't about to get any better, so he could as well get decently drunk, he decided.

He really had looked forward to that team night, which was about the only excuse he had to spend some free time with Carter, where the military wasn't present. It also was about the only time they could spend in relaxation, where they didn't have to rescue the world or be heroes. They were simply themselves. They lazed around together or did something fun. And while they still called each other by their military addresses by habit, it was the only time their military personas were left at the base, and they could _treat_ each other as Jack and Sam. And while Jack wished for Sam to have a lot of fun, he just couldn't help himself, sulking that she wasn't with them right now, having fun with them.

"Are a male's night and a girl's night supposed to be simultaneously?", Teal'c asked into Jack's thoughts.

Jack glanced up to signal that he was still with their conversation, but left Daniel to deal with their friends' curiosity.

"Um, no.", Daniel answered honestly. "This is merely coincidental."

Teal'c bowed his head in understanding and then continued: "But it is supposed to be in the same place?"

Now Daniel looked confused. "No, why?"

"I see.", Teal'c concluded. "Then I fear we are currently interrupting Major Carter's girl's night out."

This time Jack and Daniel looked at him at the same time, both trying to figure out what their friend was talking about. But to their astonishment Teal'c wasn't looking at them, but rather at something out on the dance floor. Or, most likely, someone. Jack turned and let his eyes roam over the dancing (or attempting to) people. Was there someone the Jaffa had recognized…?

Then Jack's eyes locked onto someone he recognized. Standing in a corner of the filled dance floor a petite woman stood on her toes, waving for someone. Hell, was that the Napoleonic power monger? Jack let his eyes travel over her. She was wearing very tight, fitting dark jeans with a stomach-free shirt and high heels – which still failed to make her eye-level with the rest of the world. Her hair was falling freely down to her shoulders, done into elaborate curls. It was such a contrast to the outfit she was normally running around on base that Jack had almost missed her. To be honest, it had only been her height that had clued him in.

"Is that… Janet?!", Daniel asked surprised, when his eyes caught sight of her, too.

"It appears to be Doctor Fraiser.", Teal'c confirmed.

At this moment another woman bounced up to the Napoleonic power monger. She had long blond hair and was wearing a frilly dress. Jack nearly spilled his beer, when he recognized Captain Rogers from SG-10. Yeah, didn't have expected that one. Rogers was followed by another dressed-up figure which Jack identified to be Lieutenant Evans from the infirmary. And shortly thereafter they were joined by Lieutenant Jones from SG-23, a woman with short brown hair, who was currently wrapped in such a tight spaghetti-strapped-dress that Jack wondered how she had even gotten into that dress…

God, were all the base's females here in this damn bar? He groaned and cast a side-glance at Daniel, who seemed to wonder, himself. Then something dawned on Jack. Something, Teal'c had already been hinting at. If those women were here, then surely, they were having their girl's night here! Which meant, Carter had to be around somewhere, too!

Jack's head snapped up once more and methodically his eyes began searching the perimeters. And, after a moment of thorough search, his gaze unfailingly locked onto the woman, who seemed to draw his eyes in each time. Major Samantha Carter was currently wheedling her way through the crowd, her hands holding a bunch of beer bottles over her head, trying not to spill anything. From the looks of it, the other women had made her get their drinks, because clearly Sam was the tallest of them and in less danger to get jostled around with the drinks. Jack's eyes followed her through the crowd until she reached the other women. There was a chorus of high-pitched squeals, when Sam arrived with the drinks, which served to attract quite the attention towards them. Janet took a couple of bottles from Sam, before she had managed to join the circle the women had created, and passed them on to Rogers and Evans, keeping one to herself. Sam side-stepped a couple and handed Jones another beer, before clinking hers against Janet's. Collectively the women set their bottles to the lips and tilted their heads back, gulping down the majority of their beers.

Now Jack had a clear line of vision towards Sam, and didn't that just make his breath stuck somewhere in his throat. His 2IC was dressed in a short, tight leather skirt that hugged her frame and left _plenty_ of her long, pale legs free to admire. On top of that she wore a wavy, free falling, _almost_ translucent shirt with spaghetti straps that showed off just the bit of cleavage to make a man interested. She had done something with her hair to make it look extraordinary, but Jack couldn't figure out, what exactly she had done different. Or was it the make-up she had put on this evening? It wasn't overdone or even really visible compared to that of the other women, but it served to make her amazing blue eyes stand out even more. And, Jack observed, she was wearing high heels. Not that high like some of the other women, obviously so she wouldn't tower over her friends, but still high heels. _Sweeeet_.

In one word, his 2IC was breathtakingly beautiful. Okay, that were two words, but Jack seriously feared he wouldn't find just one word to describe that vision she was presenting on the dance floor. Oh yeah, his evening had considerably brightened by now!

"Damn…!", Daniel squished out through gritted teeth with an odd mixture of admiration for female beauty and revulsion, because he obviously felt like watching his sister parade around.

Alright, maybe there was one word to describe her appropriately: damn. As in: god, she was just damn hot!

Completely misunderstanding, Teal'c concluded: "I believe we should leave, so we aren't disturbing their social event?"

The hell he was going _anywhere_! Jack lazily gulped down his beer, while tracking his 2IC from the corner of his eyes. She and her friends had dumped their empty beer bottles on a nearby table and had gone to dance. Obviously this club wasn't their first stop, because Jones and Rogers were already swaying noticeably. Still they were amusing themselves over it, laughing out loud, while Evans shook her head at them. Janet had taken Sam's hands and was twirling around the dance floor with her. Girlish giggling was heard over the drumming basses.

So, Jack drawled, this was a girl's night out…

But then came the part Jack dreaded: the attracting male attention. Of course the group of five beautiful women didn't go unnoticed. Men were coming up to them repeatedly, asking for them to dance with them. And each time someone was sneaking up to Carter, Jack wanted to throw his beer bottle at them. But to the men's dismay, and his relief, the women refused any man coming onto them. They simply wanted to have some fun together, and were not interested in any male company. Jack was glad. He was still sober enough to know that he was bordering on drunk enough to do something stupid, if some idiot was to go for his 2IC.

"This is most interesting.", Teal'c added to their non-existent conversation. Jack noticed that all talk between them had ceased and they were all staring onto the dance floor, eyeing the group of women they only knew in military dress. Teal'c seemed to be interested in the behavior during a girl's night out, and Daniel seemed to observe Janet with a complicated expression on his face.

And Jack? Jack knew he would only have eyes for Sam, even if the other women had shown up naked. His eyes were glued to her, following her every movement and watching her dance intensely. The way she moved captured him entirely. He had always seen her efficient, calculated movements during fights, had seen her running, jumping, falling, but never these fluid, graceful movements that seemed to flow through her body, making her hips do something other than her shoulders, making her hands and arms sway with the music and her head bob with the rhythm, while she smiled serenely at Janet, who was laughing along with her. It was captivating. Jack couldn't look away from her. Although she was considerably far away from their booth, she stood unmistakably out to him.

Suddenly, as if she had felt his intense gaze, she turned around, her eyes searching around. Jack waited, until her gaze settled onto him and then their eyes locked over the dance floor. Sam stopped in her movements, her mouth still parted slightly, her breath fanning in and out. She stared right back, partly surprised, but also smiling widely. She didn't seem angered by him intruding on her girl's night out, but instead seemed happy to see him.

Jack watched amused, when Janet picked up on Sam standing frozen in the middle of the dance floor and in a matter of seconds, Janet had singled them out in the club, cueing the other women in on their presence. Soon, and Jack wondered, how _that_ had happened, all five women were coming towards them.

"Oh god…", Daniel murmured, when presented with that much female, alcohol-induced power.

"Colonel! Daniel! Teal'c!", the women greeted with amused bellows, still sober enough to remember his rank, but already drunk enough to demote Doctor Jackson to Daniel.

"What a coincidence…", Jack murmured into his beer, while Daniel greeted them timidly.

Sam stopped right next to him and Jack felt his eyes go automatically to her. He couldn't help the once-over he was giving her, and he also couldn't suppress the appreciative grin that was crossing his features instantly. Sam blushed cutely, when confronted with his approving grin, and averted her eyes.

"What are you doing here?", Rogers shouted excitedly over the music.

"We only wanted to drink something.", Daniel evaded. "But we wanted to go now, anyways."

Hm, Jack mused, while studying Sam closely, he was seriously tempted to stay…

"Oh no! Why do you want to leave already?", Evans called out disappointed.

"We are interrupting your girl's night out.", Teal'c stated honestly, not picking up on Daniel's cringing.

"Are you kidding?", Janet asked laughing. "You are about the only decent guys we have met today!"

Rogers, Evans and Jones nodded enthusiastically. Jack waited for some reaction from Sam, but she didn't show any, apart from her glancing at him from time to time.

"So, how about you come dancing with us?", Evans suggested.

"Oh yes!", Rogers and Jones agreed eagerly. Immediately the three women went to drag Teal'c out of his chair, all giggling happily. Teal'c let them prevail and with his Jaffa-confidence followed them out to the dance floor. Jack was tempted to admire the guy for his bravery.

"I don't think…!", Daniel began, but mercilessly, Janet pulled him out of the booth. Together they followed the other women, Daniel's cries of "I can't even dance!" all being deterred by Janet, who claimed that it didn't matter, because she was drunk enough to not remember a thing, anyways.

But Daniel being gone meant Jack was stuck with his 2IC. His smokin' hot 2IC, who was shooting uncertain glances between him and the dance floor. But to his astonishment Sam didn't follow her friends, but rather stayed with him.

Setting his beer aside, Jack narrowed his eyes down on her. "You're not going to dance?", he asked with a husky voice. He hadn't meant to sound that flirty, but something about her looks had gotten his head to short-circuit, he feared.

She blushed once more, but didn't divert her eyes anymore. "No.", she answered. "I don't want to leave you alone by yourself, sir."

He smirked, despite the 'sir' that somehow didn't seem to match the occasion. "I could always accompany you.", he suggested.

She looked at him, clearly taken by surprise. "You dance?", she asked amazed.

He tried not to be offended. "I can assure you, Major, that indeed I can dance. Quite good, too, if I can say so myself."

She shook her head. "Oh no, sir, not that I doubted that, it's just…"

"Just what?", he prompted, when she trailed off.

"Just that I didn't think you'd be the type to dance…", she murmured apologetically.

For a moment Jack looked at her with a scrutinizing gaze, contemplating whether or not he should be honest with her. Oh, to hell with it, he could always blame it on the alcohol afterwards!

"It's just that I don't dance with _anybody_.", he told her.

Sam looked up, a disappointed look in her big eyes. "So, you're not going to join them?", she asked, motioning for their friends on the dance floor.

"No.", he confirmed.

"I see…", she replied, sounding somewhat sad.

Deciding to put her out of her misery, Jack stood up and left the booth to stand directly in front of her. "Dance with me?", he asked.

Confusion crossed her face. "But you just said…!", she pointed out, and he waited patiently for her to catch on.

"Oh!", she mouthed and her eyes went wide.

He held out his hand to her and she took it immediately, the cute blush back on her cheeks. When they went to the dance floor, the music changed to something faster, wilder, but also more rhythmic. Sam stiffened, and Jack smirked. Oh, his evening was so getting better by the minute!

Sam glanced at him with a torn expression. Clearly, she was tempted to dance with him, even to this particular music, but she was having second thoughts if it was deemed appropriate. Hell, of course, it was _anything_ but that! But then again he couldn't care less right now, even if he feared that this was going to be another night they had to lock in some room.

"Want to back out?", he teased his 2IC, knowing she couldn't resist a challenge.

A determined look set onto her features and she stepped up to him, her hands circling his neck. In response his arms went around her waist, pulling her in to him. Together they began moving to the music, both in complete synchrony. They hadn't danced with each other before, but immediately they settled into matching movements, knowing the other well enough to be able to predict what they were going to do. There was no awkward movements, no stepping on the others toes. They were instantly in sync with each other and their bodies moved together almost routinely.

Jack looked down on her and she stared right back into his gaze. Her blue eyes were simply amazing, and he loved how he could read her emotions in them. Right now he knew she was happily living in the moment, enjoying the close proximity to him.

Jack's fingers brushed over a small patch of revealed skin on her lower back, where her shirt had hiked up and going with the flow, he began caressing the small strip of bare flesh. Without her noticing, Sam's thumbs began to mirror his movement and stroked along his neck. Their thighs were brushing each other, while they moved together, not really following a certain rhythm, but still in perfect harmony with the other. Their hips were pressed together, thanks to the grip he had on her waist, and slowly they began moving as one.

Her eyes were never leaving his, even as he bent down and touched his forehead to hers. She closed her eyes for a moment, drawing in a deep breath, but surely those baby blues fluttered open once more, watching him as much as he was watching her.

He wanted so damn much to kiss her right now, but he was well aware that he was only those inches away from a court-martial as he was from her mouth, and he'd be better off if he maintained those inches. Still, he could read in her eyes that she felt it as well, and she knew as well.

So they both opted to take what they could get, here, today. And both were content with it. For now. They would make the most out of it.

So Sam didn't protest, when he drew her closer, closing the few inches that had still been between their bodies. The filled dance floor and the drunken state of their friends covered their actions. Jack almost sighed in contentment, when her slender body plastered itself against his body.

Talk about a _fantastic_ team night, he thought, while moving to the music with her soft body pressed against his, as he gazed down into her open, relaxed, beautiful eyes.


	24. Pain

_**Author's note: **__As usual, thank you all for sticking with me and my story!_

_This is set somewhere in season two, for obvious reasons as you will see._

_**Around the regs**_

_Chapter Twenty-four: Pain_

Jack gritted his teeth fiercely, his body tensed up beyond anything still being halfway comfortable. His eyebrows were narrowed over his dark eyes shooting dagger-like glares and his mouth was a straight line, digging into his cheeks. He was upset, and that because of many reasons.

The first and foremost important was his 2IC sitting on the blindingly white sheets of the infirmary bed, looking decidedly alarming. In fact, Carter's sight was downright worrying. Her normally pale complexion had turned a sickeningly greyish color and her features were contorted in an expression Jack hadn't seen on her all too often: immense pain. Her eyes were closed and she frowned continually, as if sitting upright was an indescribable effort, taking up her whole concentration. And it probably was, he realized. His eyes wandered down to her left arm she cradled with her right. Blood gushed from a wound somewhere on her biceps, running down her sleeve and dripping onto her BDUs with a frightening pace.

Jack almost sighed in frustration every time he heard a tiny whimper escape from her throat, even though she did her best to smother them. Carter showing any sign of actually hurting told him it was dead-serious much more than all the blood staining her could.

Daniel was sitting next to her on the bed, an arm placed securely around her shoulders, while his other hand comfortingly stroked over her healthy shoulder. The archaeologist didn't say a thing, but Jack had the suspicion that his friend was supporting at least part of her weight, holding her upright and keeping her from collapsing. Teal'c stood next to her bed, his still, bulky form a silent support. Nurses were working around his large form, but neither asked him to move aside. You just didn't tell Teal'c to step aside, when he was standing watch over a friend. Well, you could try, but everyone knew it would be pointless, which was why the nurses didn't even make an attempt.

And Jack? He was forced to keep up appearances and thus had to stand at the end of Sam's infirmary bed, even though the urge to step up to her side and be there for her just like the rest of their team was, when she was in so much pain, was unexpectedly strong. The overwhelming worry he felt for the woman that was _just his 2IC_ had come as a total surprise to Jack and it confused him. Jack knew he was close to his team and in one way or another he'd worried about any one of them before, but this time, it simply felt like more and that feeling irritated him.

Jack was aware that almost none of the feelings he felt right now he should feel to that amount in connection with his 2IC and the fact that he did nonetheless was setting him off. He had noticed that he and Carter had grown closer over the time and he'd come to like her for her strength, her patience, her wits and her intelligence. He had seen for himself what a damn good soldier she was, although she was still somewhat inexperienced in comparison, but that would change soon under his leadership, he was sure of it. So all in all, Carter had turned out a better 2IC than Jack could have hoped for. And he certainly hadn't wanted it nor consciously noticed, but over the time, Carter had grown onto him and so seeing her in pain was taking a toll on his nerves. But Jack was aware that he couldn't let anyone see what it did to him to see her in the state she was. So he only let himself show what was safe to be shown: barely concealed anger.

An additional factor adding to his palpable bad mood was a certain CMO standing in front of his 2IC, while carefully prying her blood-soaked sleeve away from the gushing wound. The concentrated, grim expression on the Napoleonic power monger's face was far from reassuring and Jack had seen this expression turned on him on too many serious occasions already to know that whatever news she would have after her initial examination, he would probably not like them. And when Fraiser finally let the remains of Carter's left BDU shirt's arm drop, Jack ground his teeth together so hard it hurt. The sight wasn't worrying anymore. It was nauseating, almost repellent.

God, what had she done to herself?! All Jack knew was that only five minutes prior Daniel had stormed into his office, where Jack had tried to come to terms with the fact that he would _have _to do some paperwork, while SG-1 was grounded, curtesy to his 2IC, who had to participate in some _urgent_ repairs. Jack had just opened the mouth to ask, what the hell was wrong this time, when Daniel had leaned against his door frame, panting open-mouthed, while holding his side with a pained expression. The linguist had only managed two words, but they had been enough to get Jack's stomach to drop to somewhere around his ankles.

"Sam… infirmary…", Daniel had gasped.

Jack hadn't wasted a second. To hell with paperwork or anything the base needed! He had practically shoved the out-of-breath archaeologist out of his office and together they had jogged to the infirmary, Jack arriving way earlier with his trained stamina. Still, he had to brake down in front of her infirmary bed, while all his instincts and emotions screamed for him to go to the woman he had unusually fast come to respect and value and was seriously hurting right now. But Jack was all too aware of where his place was and what would be appropriate to do and what not. It hadn't really helped that Daniel had just passed him and sat down beside Carter as if that was the most normal thing in the world, though.

Now the archaeologist leaned slightly over her shoulder to look at what Janet had revealed, turning a pale shade of green at what he was seeing. Jack vowed right then and there, he'd get to know what _exactly_ she had been about to repair and who had been in charge, while his eyes raked over her injury. A short, but about three-fingers-thick metal pole stuck out of her arm. Jack almost winced sympathetically. Ouch, that really had to hurt…!

As if to confirm his thoughts, he saw Carter bite down hard on her lip, her body swaying the slightest bit, when she caught sight of her injury. Daniel gripped her shoulders automatically and drew her slightly back against his chest to stabilize her.

Janet cautiously grabbed onto Sam's arm and turned it slightly to see, if the pole had broken through her arm. The dark expression settling over the CMO's face immediately told Jack that Carter had really run out of any luck right now. Apparently the stick hadn't only embedded itself into her arm, ripping through flesh, veins, arteries and muscle, but atleast partly had to go through her limb.

Jack crossed his arms in front of his chest and glared murderously, the only hint he could really allow himself on his consuming state of worry. The unfortunate one to suffer through the stiff tension and the strained atmosphere he was radiating was one of the Napoleonic power monger's poor nurses, who had the misfortune to stand near enough due to the lack of space by Sam's bed. She was repeatedly shifting uncomfortably, but Jack couldn't care less. He desperately needed an outlet for his worry or he would storm out, hunt down Siler and _demand_ some answers, how this could possibly have happened!

Just as Jack's thoughts took a rather dark turn, Janet straightened up, pursing her lips, which never was a good sign with the CMO. "Sam, I need to remove the stick, so I can treat the wound.", she informed his 2IC with an almost suspiciously gentle voice.

Jack felt his stomach lurch and, if that was even possible, Sam paled even more, but she nodded bravely.

Janet ordered one of her nurses to bring her some anesthetics and Jack wasn't surprised when the one closest to him hurried to fulfill the demand. She brought Fraiser the required bottle and the Doctor carefully filled a syringe. She injected the sedative into Sam's battered arm at several points, before she waited a moment for the anesthetics to kick in.

In the meanwhile, Janet looked up to Daniel sitting behind Sam. "Daniel, you will have to hold her still for me.", she declared. "If she trashes, while I try to remove the pole from her arm, she might hurt something vital that isn't affected yet."

Now it was Daniel's turn to blanch noticeably. He shook his head in a slight panic. "Janet, I can't do that!", he answered, gulping uncomfortably. The hesitant, timid glances he shot Sam's wound were explanation enough, as far as Jack was concerned.

With a sigh, but actually thankful that he could just _do_ something, Jack stepped up to the bed and motioned towards his friend to switch places. Daniel complied, rather relieved. Carefully, Jack stepped forwards and nodded towards Fraiser, who, in fact, seemed pleased to see him do the task. After all, military worked best with their own kind.

Trying his best to not think about what he was doing right now, Jack sat down on the edge of the bed and copied Daniel's former position. With an encouraging smile towards Sam, he reached around her shoulders with his arm and pulled her against his frame securely. His other hand gripped her elbow, holding her injured arm firmly, but gently in place. Somehow, Jack couldn't help the feeling that it felt oh so wrong to touch her that much, but hey, he wasn't doing it for his own amusement, was he? She needed his help, so he would help.

Steeling himself inwardly, Jack looked up and focused on Janet. The CMO grabbed the pole carefully and Jack felt Sam inhale in an attempt to prepare herself. Her wide, troubled blue eyes were following Janet's movements almost as if in a trance. Jack was worried. Was it such a good idea she was seeing what the Doc was doing…?

"Carter.", he called out to her, trying to divert her attention.

She turned her head towards him, but before he could say anything or she could react in any way, her whole face suddenly contorted in the epitome of pained rigidity, while her body did a violent twitch. She actually kicked out with her feet in an unconscious reflex to completely unexpected pain that gripped her body in a tight hold. Jack's heart immediately thundered heavily in reaction to the pain she was showing and while his brain raced to find out, what had actually happened, his body automatically pulled her to him tighter, stabilizing her, when he felt her go lax suddenly. Her head lolled against his shoulder and her harsh breathing fanned against his throat, telling him that she was panting in an erratic rhythm.

Worry gripped his heart even harder and he glared at Fraiser. "Doc!", he snapped, demanding an explanation.

Fraiser looked at him, completely puzzled. "I don't understand…!", she said confused. "I gave her enough to completely knock out any feeling in her arm!"

"Somehow I doubt that!", Jack hissed back, while Daniel next to Janet looked positively sick from the scene he had to witness.

Janet frowned. "I double-checked!", she insisted, before turning for his 2IC, inquiring: "Sam, is there anything that could have changed the way the meds work? Do you take any other meds at the moment? Have you gained weight? Or is there anything else you can think of?"

Sam shook her head weakly, which Jack only noticed, because she kept it resting against his shoulder.

Janet sighed. "Well, I have no idea, how that could have happened…", she said, still perplex. "But I'll give you a bit more."

Again she injected Sam some anesthetics, but this time Janet was smart enough to prod the metal stick first, before pulling on it. Again, Sam jolted and a pained moan escaped her lips, while she threw her body back against Jack's unknowingly.

"Fraiser!", Jack barked, unable to stand watching Sam being in pain any longer.

Janet looked completely baffled. "This is impossible.", she claimed.

Sam groaned almost inaudibly and once more Jack tightened his grip on her, he just couldn't help himself. The urge to help her in _any_ way was crushing.

"_Do something!_", he all but ordered the CMO.

Janet looked at him as if he was insane. "Colonel, I can't give her more sedatives!", she shot back. "Any more and I could give her a fatal dose!"

"I don't see it working at all!", Jack contradicted heated.

"Janet, could it be Sam's… encounter with the Tok'ra, Goa'uld or whatever it was, has somehow altered her body's chemistry?", Daniel asked suddenly.

Janet shrugged, but seemed to contemplate it. "I can't know, I've never dealt with anything even remotely similar! I would have to do some tests to see if that's–"

"_Hello?_ Problem at hand!?", Jack interrupted brusquely.

"Janet, can't you give her anything else to relieve her of the pain?", Daniel suggested, also worried for his friend.

Janet thought it through for a moment. "It would have to be anything that wouldn't counteract with what I've given her until now…", she thought out loud. "I have something fitting, but the sedative is… strong, to put it mildly. It would probably knock her out completely for days…"

"Do it!", Jack demanded. When Janet still hesitated, he added: "That is an order, Major!"

He knew that Janet as CMO still trumped any order he could give her, but he couldn't stand watching Sam suffer any longer. To his relief, however, Janet hurried and complied wordlessly. Again she injected Sam some sedatives and thankfully, Jack finally felt her body grow heavy in his arms. He looked down at her and saw her eyes stare forwards unseeing, her gaze growing hazy.

"Okay, Doc.", Jack nodded and then, cautiously, Janet began to pull the metal pole from Sam's arms. Jack watched his 2IC raptly, but she gave no sign she was feeling anything anymore. Although he wasn't watching, the Colonel noticed instantly, when the pole finally gave way with a gross slurping sound, but Sam didn't react, not even when the Doc and some nurses suddenly jumped at them to stitch up her bleeding wound and then wrap it in tight bandages as fast as possible.

When they finally stepped back, Jack carefully lowered Sam down onto bed. She looked back at him, but her eyes were unfocused and a stupid, loopy grin played upon her lips. If that was even possible, Jack thought, the ingenious Samantha Carter now looked quite dumb, with a never-seen-before silly expression on her face.

Jack noticed that she had bled onto his BDUs, but he didn't care. She had also bitten cleanly through her lower lip in her pain, a slow trickle of blood running down towards her chin. He reached up to wipe it away, while behind him Daniel began to debate with Janet about the effects a dying Goa'uld symbiote could have on his host's body chemistry. Jack tuned out the heated discussion in the background and he barely noticed another nurse step up to inject Sam with what were probably anti-inflammatory meds and/or antibiotics. He somewhat noticed Teal'c's steady presence somewhere close by, but he ignored it for the moment, as well as the busy bustling of the infirmary around them. Right now he felt that all that counted was the woman lying in front of him that had come to be important to him pretty fast. He rubbed the blood away from her face and she smiled even wider. Her eyelids fluttered unsteadily and her eyes swayed from left to right, even though she apparently tried to focus on him. She looked almost high.

"S-sir…", she slurred.

"It's alright, Carter, you're going to be fine.", he answered humbly, hating how rough his voice sounded. He cleared his throat discreetly.

She frowned as if she had to work through his words. Then she turned, trying to get closer to him. He instantly grabbed onto her, holding her still to prevent her from accidently rolling onto her injury.

"Dizzy…", she murmured.

"Yeah, that would be the pain meds.", he answered, trying to say it lightly.

She held his gaze, obviously fighting to stay conscious. He had no idea, why she insisted to stay awake. Sleep would probably help her body recover, seeing what she had been through.

"Sleep.", he ordered.

She tried shaking her head, but it was so uncoordinated it took him a while to figure out what she was actually trying to achieve. Again she opened her mouth to speak, but for a moment no words would come out.

"S-so… rry…", she finally managed to get out.

He lifted an eyebrow. He really had no idea, what she was talking about. But he wasn't about to argue with her, when she was injured and drugged up. He could always ask her later on, when she had recovered.

Her head was rolling as if she was nodding off, but she kept staring at him stubbornly.

"S-sir…", she began once more and this time he reached out, running a finger quickly over her cheek in an unwatched moment.

"Carter, will you just sleep already?", he grouched.

She sighed at feeling his unusual display of affection. For a tiny moment, her gaze cleared and she looked at him with an overwhelming warmth that took the air from him. A small smile tugged at her lips and he saw her hand twitch as if she was trying to reach for him, but the sedatives were making her body so uncoordinated she couldn't control it anymore.

"Colonel…", she murmured with a sigh. "Glad… you're here…"

Jack didn't reply, but he had the impression she wouldn't notice anyways. Then again, going by the disjointed way she spoke Jack wasn't even sure if she was aware of what she was saying in the first place.

"Sir… thank… you…", she continued with a whisper, her voice a mixture of urgency and emotion. And Jack knew what she was trying to tell him. She wasn't just thanking him for being there with her _this time_. She had noticed the way he had taken her under his wings and was looking out for her. And, apparently, she appreciated his efforts.

Oh, to hell with it, Jack thought when he finally felt his restraint snap. He took her hand in his, the sight of them entwining their fingers covered by his body. She smiled, serenely this time, and her hand squeezed his, although pretty weak. Immediately, he felt a familiar warmth spread through him he only ever related to Sam. A warmth he was all too aware he shouldn't really feel considering their positions, but he also couldn't help it. Jack pushed the slightly guilty feeling back and concentrated on his 2IC for the moment. She still looked at him, but for the first time since she'd been drugged up, she seemed calm, as if the connection with his hand was somehow grounding her. And finally, he felt the crushing weight of the worry he'd felt for her lift.

"I know, Carter.", he acknowledged, telling her he understood.

She struggled, trying to say more, trying to hold out. Jack almost sighed at her stubbornness.

"Sam.", he said, untypically addressing her with her first name. "Sleep, will ya?"

And then, lastly, unconsciousness claimed her. She slipped off, her hand going limp in his. He waited for her breath to even out and then released her, letting her rest to recover.

* * *

_A/N: My take on how they found out Sam wasn't reacting to anesthetics normally anymore. Also a nice excuse, don't ya think?  
_


	25. Genius

_**Author's note:**__ And again, thank you to all readers, followers and reviewers!_

_This one-shot is a companion piece to 'Proving Ground' and inspired by another fanfiction story I've read a long time ago. Unfortunately, though, I can't remember or find the story or I would give the author proper credit…_

_**Around the regs**_

_Chapter Twenty-five: Genius_

"Damn it, Jack, could you not look so… pleased?", Daniel Jackson asked into the momentary silence of the briefing room.

"No can do, Danny-boy.", Jack denied him, drumming his fingers on the briefing table to the sound of the Simpsons theme. He was in a particularly good mood.

"But we're working on a problem here!", Daniel reminded him.

As if he'd forgotten. "I don't see it as a _problem_.", Jack countered.

"The Colonel is right.", Sam came to his defense. "After all we should be happy that the cadets are doing so well."

"Yeah, yeah…", Daniel grumbled. "They're all good and so on, but we need to come up with some plan for the final test, don't we? Right now the only thing that's keeping us ahead of them is Sam outsmarting them!"

"Oh, c'mon! We're still talking about Academy cadets here!", Jack reminded him.

"Cadets that we're in charge of this time and that have passed all our recent tests!", Daniel shot back.

"Some of them only barely!", Jack opposed.

"But they still passed.", Teal'c concluded, effectively ending the foreboding argument between Jack and Daniel. "From my understanding, what Daniel Jackson is referring to is the fact that each time we are doing the assessment of a group of cadets, a final test under real circumstances here at the Stargate Center is in order, is it not? And I believe this time we lack the reason to put them under the additional stress of having 'almost failed' to enhance the real case scenario."

"That's true.", General Hammond joined the conversation. "And while I'm glad the team is passing all test scenarios gloriously by going by the book, we need more than that for the SGC. Any ideas?"

"Oh come on!", Jack snorted. "An emergency can come up any time 'round here! Surely we won't have any problems making something up?"

"I'm open for any suggestions.", General Hammond smiled mildly at the Colonel.

Jack opened his mouth to say anything, but nothing would come out of it and he looked towards Sam, who sat right beside him. She was gnawing at her lip in deep thought, which so did not help his case in thinking.

Slowly the blonde genius of SG-1 elaborated: "We could just bring them here to simply show them the SGC…", she contemplated. "We could state that they have passed the tests and are given the tour of the base they're going to work at. Then, when they're here, we can create some scenario for their final test…"

"Oh, that's good!", Daniel immediately jumped at the idea. "But this time we would have to do something subtle, almost unnoticeable, so it will become difficult for them!"

"Something like a sneak attack on the base?", Sam instantly understood.

"An infiltration.", Teal'c stated confidently.

"See? I knew we would come up with something.", Jack said pleased.

General Hammond raised a brow at the 'we', but he did not interrupt the geniuses of his best team, while they shot ideas off of each other.

"So an infiltration.", Daniel mulled it over. "By whom?"

"The Goa'uld.", Sam answered without missing a second. "Almost the whole training for the SGC is based on the defense from the Goa'uld. They're the enemy we're attempting to keep at bay."

"Hey! We're doing a damn fine job at that!", Jack threw in, obviously taking affront by Sam's 'attempting'.

However his beautiful 2IC wasn't even acknowledging him, her whole attention was focused on the archaeologist sitting across from her. They seemed to be having quite the fun coming up with this scenario.

"Okay, a Goa'uld.", Daniel agreed. "So, who should be the one, who's betraying us?"

"Of course it would have to be the Colonel!", Sam stated immediately. Jack almost spluttered out loud. He… what!?

"'Scuse me?", he snapped irritated.

Sam turned towards him, her eyes shining with excitement. It was almost enough to make him give in to her anyways. "Sir, you are the one, who spends the most time with the cadets! You are the one they know best from the SGC until now. So with all the possibilities for traitors here, they would suspect you at last!"

That… made sense, he admitted. Even if only inwardly.

"It will make for some very difficult decisions and the dire need for good analyzing skills.", Teal'c acknowledged Sam's suggestion.

"Good. So Jack'll be the bad guy.", Daniel concluded with a satisfied grin.

Jack rolled his eyes at the fun his friend was having at that thought. "But, come on…", he inquired. "Once they see through this – and they probably will – won't this be too easy, compared to what we've done to other teams?"

"We'll have to be very sneaky?", Daniel suggested, but General Hammond shook his head.

"No, the Colonel is right. This would be too easy, once they've come behind this.", the General agreed. "They would only have to disable the Colonel and they'd be done."

"Then how about… two?", Sam asked lowly, biting her lip insecurely.

"Two?", Jack echoed, looking at her confused. Her eyes sought him out in a familiar way that told him she was seeking his approval, but unfortunately he wasn't catching up.

"… Two? Two Goa'uld?", Daniel asked, clearly more able to follow Sam's trail of thoughts.

Sam nodded and when silence spread through the room she began to explain: "I mean it's very rare, because Goa'uld don't work together, since they don't like to share, but we've encountered cases where they did: Isis and Osiris, Ra and Hathor…"

"Actually, that's brilliant!", Jack beamed, stunned by her idea. "No way they'd be expecting that!"

Sam exhaled in relief, when she noticed his approval and he did his best to not notice.

"Okay, two Goa'uld it is then.", General Hammond agreed smiling. "As far as I'm aware we haven't had that scenario yet. It will come entirely unexpected. And I know a certain Pentagon affiliate, who still owes me a bit of money…!"

"So, who's the one who has to put up with Jack as their Goa'uld partner?", Daniel snickered.

Jack smiled devilishly as an idea hit him. Oooh, this was way too good to pass up on! So confidently he stated: "Of course it would have to be Carter!"

"What?!", she cried out shocked and for a moment he was amused that he had managed to shake his steady 2IC.

"Well, going by your logic, you are the one they know best after me!", he explained.

"But, sir! There are better choices than me!", she denied. "General Hammond would be the obvious choice for power and command, or Daniel for knowledge!"

Jack pouted at her. She was ruining his fun! "If we're doing this after the image of Isis and Osiris or who-the-hell-ever, then I want a queen!", he sulked.

Sam lit up like a traffic light, and Daniel broke out laughing.

"Then… then how about Janet? She would be a wiser choice for her medical knowled–", Sam tried anew, but Jack interrupted her immediately.

"And how was I supposed to interact with her without making it seem suspicious?", Jack countered.

Sam worried her lower lip, while thinking. It was true. Janet and the Colonel didn't usually interact outside the infirmary. It would inevitably draw attention to them. So there really was no other choice than her…

"Alright…", she sighed, already knowing that this was a decision that would come to bite her in her six.

"Good! Now that that's cleared, let's work on the details…", the Colonel suggested in high spirits. Oh, this was going to become one test he'd love!

SJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJ

"… And this is level nineteen, where the technical and scientific labs are placed.", Sam explained, when the elevator came to a halt with the doors dinging open discreetly.

"Do we _have_ to stop here?", Jack asked grouchily, which earned him a chuckle from Lieutenant Andrew Cabot. He was the highest ranking within the academy cadets, and therefor leading their four-man team.

"Yes.", Sam denied the Colonel flatly and exited the elevator. She was followed by the only female member, Sergeant Kailey Whiteley, and the top of the academy's class: Sergeant Ross Parker. Just like Jack and Sam, they all still wore their combat BDUs – minus the weapons they had left with some SF's to bring them to the armory – because they had come straight from a training session, where Jack had decided 'spontaneously' that the cadets were good enough to get the SGC tour already. It had prompted quite the party within the little group, so that they had all missed the Colonel's hidden, evil smile upon thinking what was actually planned for the group…

So now they were at the SGC, making their way through the levels to General Hammond's office to report. Well, that was at least what the rookies thought. Jack watched them silently as they passed him in the elevator, following his 2IC. The last one to emerge before the Colonel was Sergeant Joshua Harcourt, who was almost tripping over his feet, because he kept staring at Sam. But for once the Colonel was not annoyed, no. The thought of what _he_ was going to _do_ to Sam was keeping him in high spirits no matter how much the greenhorn was drooling over his 2IC.

Together the group entered Daniel's lab. The archaeologist seemed deeply emerged in his work, but he looked up when they entered.

"Sam. Jack.", he acknowledged them, before his eyes wandered over to the newbies. His eyes grew astonished and Jack inwardly congratulated the man on his acting skills.

"Oh. They're given the tour already?", Daniel asked with false amazement. "They have to be good!"

Immediately Jack could see the chests of Cabot and Harcourt swell with pride and had to hold back a chuckle. Yup, they were totally falling for it.

Restlessly, Jack began to wander through Daniel's lab, letting his eyes roam the various artefacts displayed, while Sam was explaining a few things to the rookies with Daniel's help.

Jack looked around. Where was it, he wondered, where…? Ah, there! Wandering over he took hold of the fake urn Daniel had created and let it run through his fingers, seemingly inspecting it out of boredom. The archaeologist had really outdone himself, Jack thought. He didn't see any difference to those things they usually brought back from some alien planets. But then again, that had been the aim all along. It should look like an urn brought through the Stargate from another planet, because in their scenario it was supposed to be the container that held the two Goa'uld that would infiltrate the SGC.

Shooting a quick glance at the cadets Sam was keeping entertained, Jack let the pot drop. It shattered on the ground behind a desk with a good, noticeable _crash_.

"Jack!", Daniel immediately yelled.

"Oops. Sorry!", Jack shot back, while kneeling down, acting as if he wanted to collect the pieces.

Daniel rushed over to him with faked anger. "How many times do I have to tell you _not_ to touch anything in my lab?!"

"Yeah, yeah…", Jack muttered, while still kneeling with his back to the group. He paid special attention to the fact that he had to let two or three seconds pass, before he answered Daniel. After all this was the moment he would become possessed by the Goa'uld and he had to make it so that the rookies could detect it later on. On that note… Jack decided to let an extra second pass, just to make sure. After all, he was supposed to take in two Goa'uld, one of them would possess him and the other one he would transfer to Sam later on. Stealthily, Jack activated the little gadget Sam had invented for these training scenarios that was hidden in his pants' pockets which would make the specifically designed contact lenses in his eyes flash as the tell-tale sign that he had been taken over by a Goa'uld, but he was careful to avoid the button that would make the little microphone hidden under the collar at his neck warp his voice. After all, the cadets shouldn't know by now that he was compromised, they should just be able to detect it afterwards.

Just as they had agreed on, Sam cut in like clockwork, taking the attention away from Jack. "What was it, Daniel?", she asked the archaeologist with professional curiosity, pointing to the shattered pieces on the ground.

Daniel sighed heavily. "An urn we brought back from P4Y-902."

"Have you examined it yet?", Sam asked curiously.

Daniel shook his head. "Didn't have the time."

Jack stood up again, doing his best to look sheepish. "Well, turns out you don't have to, anymore…"

Again Cabot and Harcourt laughed, but Parker looked disappointed over the loss of some interesting/maybe-important artefact.

"Jack…!", Daniel began threateningly and Jack saw his need to get his escape.

"How about we continue our trip?", he suggested before hurrying out of the door. Sam followed him chuckling, and one by one the cadets milled out, leaving behind a fuming Daniel.

Outside, Jack glanced down the loooong hallway full of labs and sighed dramatically, remembering that he had to get Sam to dismiss him, so they could continue on with the charade. Sam raised an eyebrow on him. Really, her acting skills were as good as Daniel's.

Smiling, she faked to take pity on him: "Sir, maybe you should inform General Hammond that we have arrived at the base…?", she suggested.

His face lit up in feigned relief. "Really? I mean… I can do that if you don't need me now."

She shook her head in amusement. "Yes, sir. Just go. How about we meet on level twenty in twenty minutes?"

"Alright.", he complied, before walking away fast.

"He doesn't really like science, does he?", Parker asked, looking back at their Commanding Officer, who couldn't make his escape fast enough.

"No, not really.", Sam agreed, before continuing the tour.

SJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJ

The alarms went off, before they were able to meet with Colonel O'Neill again. Sam looked around with acted bewilderment, when the sounds suddenly went off over their heads, but while the cadets stopped suddenly, frozen in confusion, to Sam the alarms merely meant they were finally getting serious with the training scenario.

"Major Carter?", Whiteley asked confused, looking around, when the personnel around them suddenly started running around frantically.

Without answering Sam raced for the elevator. For a moment the cadets were stunned, but then training kicked in and they followed the right now highest ranking officer. Milling together in the elevator, Sam brought them down deep within the mountain and then led them to the control room.

"Walter?", she called out the moment the group burst into the control room.

The Chief Master Sergeant was frantically typing away on the keyboards. "I don't know yet.", he answered uncharacteristically.

"The scans?", Sam asked immediately, going over to him to shoot a look on the screens.

The Sergeant shook his head. "Showing nothing out of the ordinary. Nothing wrong with the Stargate, no form of contact from the outside, no malfunction of any technology!"

Sam bit her lip, pretending to be concentrating hard. "So someone has set off the alarms manually!", she concluded. "Run a diagnosis from where!"

Harriman nodded. "But this may take a while."

Sam turned around. "Alright. I'll go inform the General!"

Passing by the stunned cadets once more she waved them to follow her. Rushing up the stairs to the General's office she ordered: "Under all circumstances, stay with me!"

"Yes, ma'am!", Lieutenant Cabot confirmed her order, before asking timidly: "But why…?"

"Just a feeling…", Sam answered, before crossing the briefing room. The door to General Hammond's office was closed and the cadets heard the Major swear slightly under her breath. Without knocking Sam barged into the General's office. All five stopped suddenly in their tracks. The General was slumped over his desk lifelessly, his eyes open, but unseeing.

"Oh my god! Is he…?", Whiteley asked shocked, while Sam stepped forward to examine the General. Her fingers searched for a pulse on his neck, before she shook her head gravely.

"Dead?", Harcourt asked disbelievingly.

"Yes.", Sam said humbly with sad eyes. "Broken neck, I assume."

"How… how is this even possible?", Cabot inquired shaken.

Sam looked up and seemed to think for a minute. In truth she needed a moment to congratulate herself and the SGC on how well the scenario played out. Harriman's panic had been more than convincing and the General was the best living corpse she'd ever seen given that he was still breathing even though he did his best to make it unnoticeable. And she needed to stall for time so that the Colonel could get away without being seen. They needed him to be on the surveillance cameras on his way to the General's office where he had supposedly killed the General to give the rookies at least a hint, but now Sam needed to make sure he had the time to get away or it would be too obvious.

When Sam felt that enough time had passed, she reached for the radio clipped to her protection vest she still wore from the outside training they had done with the cadets before coming back to the SGC.

"Colonel O'Neill, come in!", she called out.

Immediately her radio cracked in response. "_Carter! What's going on?_", the Colonel asked irked.

Sam pinched the bridge of her nose. "Sir, where are you right now?"

"_I was on my way to meet you, when the alarms went off. I'm heading down to the control room right now._"

Sam seemed relieved. "Okay. Sir, you need to come to the General's office! We have a situation here!"

"_I'll be there in one._", came the immediate reply. And true to his word, only a minute later Jack rushed into the office, pushing his way through the cadets. He only needed one glance at the General and at Sam's sad face.

"Shit!", he cursed.

Sam nodded. "Sir, you're next in command! What do we do?"

Jack faked to think for a second. His eyes wandered back to Sam. "You have an idea, who could have done this?", he inquired.

Sam shrugged, pretending to think it through. "Only wild theories."

"I need to hear them nonetheless!", he decided and motioned for the briefing room. But while Sam and the cadets milled out slowly, Jack stayed back, grabbing onto the red phone sitting on General Hammond's desk. "Harriman!", he called out, after he'd dialed up the control room. "This is Colonel O'Neill. Shut the SGC off! Complete lock-down! No one's coming in, no one's leaving!"

For a moment silence followed and then Jack said lowly: "General Hammond's been killed. I'm in charge now. Whatever is detected is to be reported to me from now on!"

When he was finished, Jack went to join the others in the briefing room, a thoughtful look on his face. Then, settling onto a decision, he turned to Cabot. "Lieutenant! Go and see to it that Harriman's following his orders!"

"Sir?", the Lieutenant asked confused.

Jack just shook his head. "Just making sure.", he explained. "Whoever has killed the General has to be from the base, and I feel better when I know the bastard's unable to get away!"

"Yes, sir!", the Lieutenant snapped to attention, before hurrying away.

"Parker, Harcourt! Get Teal'c and Daniel! Stat! And Whiteley! Inform the infirmary that we need Fraiser!", Jack went on.

All three cadets rushed out to fulfill their tasks, leaving Jack and Sam behind. Both officers took special care in overlooking the General while waiting, neither of them wanting to give the cadets a clue, when they would later decide to go through the surveillance tapes. They just had to wait for Doctor Fraiser to arrive. She would wheel the General out of his office, claiming to do an autopsy on his corpse, but she would just inconspicuously let him slip out somewhere on the way so he could head up to the Pentagon lackeys in the control room on Level sixteen. And later on, Jack already knew, the Doc would state that the General had been strangled to death with brute force. It was part of their scenario.

"So…", Jack said lowly, while turning for Sam. "How do you think we're doing?"

Sam worried her lip again. "Good… So far.", she said shrugging.

Jack couldn't help the smile that crossed his face. He had been expecting this part of the scenario the whole day and couldn't help the excitement that rushed through him.

"You know?", he whispered, while stepping near enough so her hair could tickle his chest. "There was something I was wondering about…"

"What's that, sir?", she asked breathlessly, while looking up at him. She knew what was about to come and he could read the same excitement in her eyes.

He made air quotes, while explaining: "When I'm going to _transfer_ the second Goa'uld from that urn to you…", his smile grew wider. "…I'll do it the _Tok'ra way_?"

Sam blushed unwillingly, when he referred to the mouth-to-mouth-transfer, but remained composed. "Just as we agreed on.", she murmured back.

He came even closer if that was possible. "Still, there's a fault within your scenario.", he drawled languidly.

She cocked a brow at him. "Really?"

"Yes.", he smirked. "How are the cadets to suspect that I _am_ transferring a Goa'uld to you, and not just makin' out with my hot 2IC?"

Sam opened her mouth to undoubtedly list all the valid reasons why, but Jack took his chance immediately. Using his trained speed he reached forwards, grabbed hold of her jaw with his hands and cupped her cheeks with his fingers. He drew her in to him, his lips unfailingly finding hers. Sam had known he was to do this. It was what they had agreed on in the briefing. Because it was a method that would avoid any transfer wounds that would give them away as Goa'uld instantly. Still, Jack took her by surprise. And Sam wasn't prepared for what it meant. Feeling Jack's lips move against her own was intoxicating and as much as she had gotten ready for this scenario – inwardly steeling herself for what was about to come –, she couldn't help her instinctive reaction. She grabbed onto his shirt, right over his chest, and held him to her, immediately going with the kiss.

And then Jack went waaaay from what they had agreed on! All of a sudden Sam felt his tongue enter her mouth! The fact that she had had her mouth opened when he had descended on her already made for a steamy kiss, but this now? This was on a _whole other level!_

Sam could feel that they both tried to maintain at least the last bits of professionalism, dimly remembering that the guys from the Pentagon were watching the surveillance tapes as well, but the years of suppressed feelings and emotions were spiraling out of control fast. Sam knew logically what Jack was trying to achieve: he tried to make it more obvious for the cadets to see the transfer of the Goa'uld to her by snaking his tongue in her mouth, but she couldn't help but feel vastly different about this move!

Sam couldn't help the tiny moan that escaped her, when his tongue wound around hers, and her fingers slightly caressing his defined chest through his BDU shirt probably weren't appropriate either. But at hearing her response, Jack almost surged through the roof with excitement. True, he had taken her by surprise with his _idea_, because he wasn't sure what she would think about having to french kiss her CO, but _never_ in his wildest dreams would he have expected this reaction! It was as unexpected as amazing!

Jack knew he should draw back sometime, but this chance was way too good to pass up!

But hearing the sounds of Cabot returning told him his time was up. He released Sam, and miraculously she remembered to activate the device that would make her eyes flash. Jack held her gaze for a moment, watching her eyes blaze up, not able to wipe the satisfied grin off his face. Oh, he had to thank those cadets for being so good!

And seeing Sam trying to tame down the wild blush on her cheeks, Jack was swearing to himself that, if he had any say in that matter, this was so _not_ the last time they had done this!


	26. Jealousy

_**Author's note:**__ Okay guys, this is it. This will be the last chapter for now. I won't mark 'Around the regs' as complete though, because I still have ideas and might return with them sometime. And I have already considered this collection done four times and still came up with more chapters. However, for the time being, I want to concentrate on other projects._

_So thank you all for sticking with me and the story and for all your wonderful words! It's really reassuring to see how many people followed and read my stories. And this time I would also like to especially thank the people who commented on almost every chapter!_

_So, on with the last chapter. It really proved difficult to write for me, because I lack the insight on one or two of the characters I had to use…_

_**Around the regs**_

_Chapter Twenty-six: Jealousy_

Jack waited in front of the unmoving Stargate, routinely going through his equipment. He couldn't help the self-satisfied smirk, when he thought about his upcoming mission. Oh, the SGC so needed him. And he had just been gone, what? Four months? Five?

Jack clipped his P90 to his protection vest and the movement was so familiar, so habitual he almost sighed content. How he missed going off-world!

General Landry stepped up to him and Jack turned towards the other man. "Hank.", he acknowledged his successor.

"General O'Neill.", the other Major General replied.

"Ah! It's Jack.", Jack immediately clarified.

Landry smiled and nodded, accepting Jack's wish. Jack knew that as current Head of Homeworld Security he was technically Landry's Commanding Officer, but seeing that they knew each other pretty well and Landry had actually made General before Jack had, Jack still felt highly uncomfortable whenever the other man saluted him. Actually, Jack had never been very comfortable with any fellow officer bowing to him and now that he got that reaction on a daily basis it was giving him lots of headaches.

"So, Jack.", Landry continued. "You sure you don't want to take SG-3 with you?"

"Positive.", Jack answered, while checking the pockets of his protection vest to see if he had forgotten something essential. Now that he wasn't doing that 24/7 anymore the former routine felt odd and Jack felt compelled to double-check.

"SG-1 is waiting for me on the other side.", Jack explained. "So no need to get SG-3 on base. Let's leave 'em to their downtime."

Landry didn't seem very convinced by Jack's words, but seeing that Jack could always make it an order, he also didn't contradict. Okay, so sometimes it really was great to be 'the man'.

Jack turned back for the window to the control room and shouted up: "Dial us up, Walter!"

The loyal Chief Master Sergeant smiled warmly and nodded, and immediately Jack could hear the Stargate spin behind him. Together with Landry he waited for the chevrons to lock and the wormhole to kawoosh to life.

The moment the event horizon had stabilized, Hank looked at him and said: "Well then, Jack, good luck. And have fun."

Grinning excitedly, Jack began to climb the ramp, striding confidently for the engaged wormhole. "Oh, I will.", he threw back over his shoulder before he stepped into the event horizon with the routine of having done that almost daily while being on the SGC for over eight years. Really, going off-world to alien planets was much more normal to him than all this political shit in Washington would ever become.

Jack was out of the wormhole only seconds later and with his fingers on his personal defense weapon out of habit more than actual necessity, he stepped down the stone stairs the Stargate was placed in front of. His eyes roamed over the surroundings but thanks to Daniel's reports, Jack already knew what he would see. The Stargate was looming over a fairly large, but rather middle-aged village. Jack was greeted with houses built out of tree trunks that had been erected around a large well in the center of the village. People were walking in between the houses, the men in rough pants and solid boots, the women in long dresses, and horses were pulling carts over the muddy ground. Long story short it looked exactly like in those historic films Daniel had made them watch on a few team nights, before Jack had declared that from now Teal'c would be responsible for choosing the film. That might make him have to watch Star Wars for the sixteenth time, but that was certainly better than Daniel's documentations and Carter's women-films.

Speaking of his team… Jack grinned, when he saw SG-1 waiting for him at the DHD. Okay, so strictly speaking, SG-1 wasn't his team anymore, but he would forever think of Daniel, Teal'c and Carter as _his_ team. Jack walked down the few steps and stopped in front of Daniel, Colonel Mitchell and Carter.

"General, sir!", Mitchell acknowledged him with a sharp salute, but Jack waved him off.

"At ease, Mitchell.", he grumbled. The Colonel complied and Jack was relieved. Really all that saluting _was_ taking some getting used to.

"Sir.", Carter greeted with the usual warm voice she reserved for him, when he looked to her and for a moment, Jack feared she would mirror Mitchell, when she moved.

"Don't you dare!", he threatened and with a smile she returned to her relaxed position, her hands staying on top of her P90. The way she handled the weapon so comfortably and looked so at ease in the alien surroundings, Jack knew immediately she was glad she'd come back to SG-1. Oh, she had undoubtedly enjoyed her little time-out at Area 51, but he knew she just hadn't been ready yet to leave the front lines.

"It's good to see you, sir.", she said and Jack saw her eyes sparkle with the honest feelings behind her words.

"It's good to be here.", he replied and he meant every word. Really, for Jack, this was better than any vacation. This was where he truly belonged no matter how often Henry Hayes stated something else. Not that Jack didn't think his job important – otherwise he wouldn't have agreed to it in the first place – but there was just nothing like actually experiencing what he nowadays was only reading of in mission reports.

"Jack!", Daniel greeted, bouncing up to him and effectively interrupting Jack's moment with Carter.

"Space-monkey.", Jack answered and for once, the man didn't seem piqued by the nickname. But was what the saying? Absence makes the heart grow fonder?

"Oh, it's good they sent you!", Daniel exclaimed and Jack wondered what alternative the SGC had really had. After all there weren't many people left with the Ancient gene and even less they _knew_ of who were in possession of the gene. So when Daniel had called in and reported that they had found what he deemed to be another Ancient outpost they couldn't access without someone with the ATA gene, Jack had miraculously found his leave to Colorado Springs he had applied for weeks ago approved of within minutes. Yep, he had known that gene would come in handy sometime.

"So, where's the outpost?", Jack inquired.

Daniel waved vaguely towards the large forests in the background of the village and Jack's eyes followed his pointing, taking in the lots and lots of trees. Really, what the hell was it with alien planets and their all-similar vegetation?

"We'll need roughly about a day to get to the site.", Daniel explained. "So when it was clear we would have to go back and call for… reinforcements, Teal'c and Vala stayed there to watch the camp."

Okay, that also explained, why Teal'c wasn't here, Jack thought. And it also meant he probably wouldn't get to see the Jaffa all that soon.

Jack looked up to the already darkening sky. "Lemme take a lucky guess.", he said. "We're moving out tomorrow?"

Daniel nodded. "It's too risky to travel the forests in the dark. Deep within the forests live huge bear-like beasts that attack during the night, so nobody is allowed to leave the village in the dark."

"But within the village, we're safe?", Jack inquired.

Daniel nodded. "They usually don't go to where humans live. They only attack when you cross their territories."

Jack nodded, completely relaxed. He wouldn't mind spending a night in this village. And then he almost smiled. He was dimly aware that if he'd still been on SG-1, he would have been angered by the delay, but since now all that was awaiting him was his desk in Washington, he wasn't even thinking of complaining. Carter stepped up to them to stand next to him and immediately, Jack felt even less inclined to complain.

"Sir, the villagers are planning a feast for our sakes.", she informed him and motioned towards the village behind them.

Jack felt an even larger grin spread over his face. This was getting better by the minute. "Really? Is there going to be cake?"

SJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJSJ

Yeah, you just shouldn't count your chickens, before they are hatched, Jack thought sarcastically. When would he ever learn that there just wasn't something like a nice, laidback alien planet? Given, he was very much aware everyone else would think of this planet as exactly that, but they also weren't in the situation Jack was in, were they?

Jack leaned forwards onto his elbows and idly let his eyes run over the abundance of food laid out in front of them. The villagers really knew how to throw a party, Jack observed. There was enough food to keep a base the size of Cheyenne Mountain going for a week, a large campfire was piled up in the middle of all the hastily set up tables and benches, dancers were twirling around the peacefully burning flames and some alcoholic beverage was served what felt like every five minutes. Jack had declined the concoction every time one of the young girls serving it had asked him, knowing SG-1's track record with alien drinks, but Daniel and Mitchell had no such problems. They had obviously drunken it before and weren't really worried about the effects, but Jack was skeptical. Or he was already in a dark enough mood that he knew adding alcohol of some sorts would be the wrong course of action.

Jack scowled and leaned his head into the palm of his hand. The evening was dragging on much like these parties in Washington and even though he sat with his team – or at least the majority of it – Jack would have wished for nothing but to be finally able to go. He knew Mitchell enjoyed himself by the way he heard the other man laugh continually and Daniel seemed rather relaxed, but Jack was cranky. And that was all the fault of his former 2IC.

Carter was the only one not sitting with them. In fact she had gotten 'granted' a place with the village's hunters, who had, by Daniel's explanations, the highest reputation in the village. Jack knew from Daniel's descriptions that it was considered a high honor to be allowed to sit with the hunters, but going from the hunter's behavior and the skills Jack knew Mitchell and Daniel had, too, he knew it hadn't really much to do with his former 2IC's battle skills, even if they really were outstanding. No, from what Jack had deduced in the short time he'd been here, the villagers were simply fascinated by Carter's looks. Apparently and going by the fact that Jack had only seen people with brown or black hair throughout the whole village, they had never seen someone with blonde hair before. Jack knew he should be glad that, for once, a middle-aged civilization didn't seem to have a problem with Carter for her dressing like a man, wielding weapons, having shorter hair or whatever ridiculous reason they could come up with. No, for once, she seemed accepted and well-liked. And yet, Jack wasn't happy.

Listlessly picking a slice of bread to pieces, Jack watched the villager's behavior towards her. It was bordering on uncomfortable. Carter was treated like some kind of a star. Like a great attraction. Jack had seen people stop in the streets to stare at her, children follow her around wherever she went, women whisper while staring dumbstruck at her when she passed them and, much to Jack's dismay, men were continually coming up to her to ask if they may touch her hair. Rationally, Jack could understand them, but that didn't have to mean he had to like it! Far from it.

Jack had noticed Daniel obviously had no scruple whatsoever to use Carter's popularity for their negotiations when he'd seen the archaeologist make Carter ask for sleeping places in the village until they could return to the camp where Teal'c and Vala were waiting, but Jack knew he was dangerously close to exploding. Whenever another man came to her with this awestruck expression, Jack wanted to scream. Whenever one of them asked to touch her in some way and she nodded her consent with that tight, polite smile, rage bubbled through Jack. And whenever one of them ran their fingers through her hair and then let their hands linger on her shoulder until she stepped out of range inconspicuously he wanted to hit something. Jack was well aware with what kind of feeling he was dealing here. And he actually wasn't surprised at feeling what he did. What did surprise him however was the intensity of his emotions. He wanted nothing more than to shoo all those men away from her and, just for good measure, put a few of them into their place.

Jack could see Carter felt crowded and that she didn't really like all the attention she was receiving. He knew she mostly agreed to it to keep the villagers placated and that she would have vastly preferred to be left alone, but the knowledge did nothing to soothe the roaring beast in Jack's chest. He knew the situation was as uncomfortable to her as it was to him, maybe even more, and that she just allowed the touches so she wouldn't be impolite, but still he was angry. Angry with the whole situation. Angry with all those men, who approached her as if they had all the rights in the world to do so. Angry with her that she allowed them. And angry with him that he let the situation disturb him so much. Really, professional behavior was something else. And Jack was angry he let the situation get to him so much.

Raising his cup of water to his lips, Jack once again found his eyes travel over to the table where she was sitting with the hunters. The table was, of course, all men and they were hovering around Carter like bees around honey. They were serving her food, giving her water, amusing her with stories. She smiled left and right respectfully, but Jack saw the tiny signs on her that gave her away. Whenever one of the men would touch her, like laying a hand on her shoulder or grab onto her hair, she would stiffen and her smile would just grow a bit more polite and less honest. Still, she didn't go. She stayed at the table. She accepted all the food and all the attention. Jack felt like exploding. He needed to get out here. Like, stat.

Without a warning, Jack rose. Daniel looked up to him, confused. "Jack?", he asked.

"I'm going to sleep.", Jack answered with the first thing he could think of. In fact, the little hut the villagers had allowed them to stay in for the night sounded exactly like what he would need right now: calm, dark and far, far away from the feast.

"You wanna leave already, General?", Mitchell inquired, sounding just the tiniest bit tipsy.

"Yeah.", Jack stated without looking to where Carter sat. "Y'know, the flight, the time difference and whatever. I'm tired."

Jack knew this was a lousy excuse seeing that Colorado Springs and Washington DC were only two hours apart in time and Jack also knew Daniel would see through it immediately, but apparently Mitchell was already gone enough to accept it. He just nodded and wished Jack a good night, promising he'd be quiet later on. Jack grumbled something incoherently back and then got the hell out of the party. With quick, angry strides he stormed through the rows of houses to get to the two little huts at the edge of the village that were reserved for visitors. Daniel had told him they had spent their nights in them before, when they had landed first on the planet to scout it. Then Carter and Vala had shared one hut and the boys of SG-1 the other. Now Daniel would stay with Sam and Jack would bunk together with Mitchell. Given he would be able to sleep. Because despite his pretenses Jack wasn't tired. At all. Anger was bubbling through his body, leaving him feeling riled up and enraged. He still wanted to hit something and had no idea, where to go with all the spare energy.

Jack reached the hut and kicked the door open, with no small amount of strength. Wordlessly, he stepped into the dark hut and threw the door shut behind him. For a moment Jack contemplated what to do, but since he had no better idea, sleep it was. He began ridding himself from all his weapons, dumping them on his bed, and then shed his protection vest.

He had just opened his BDU jacket, when a knock sounded out. Jack almost groaned. That was probably Danny-boy sticking his nose somewhere it didn't belong yet again: Jack's business. Deciding that he right now really lacked the patience to start a discussion with his friend, Jack simply stayed silent, hoping the archaeologist would just leave.

"Sir?", Carter's voice drifted through the closed door.

Jack froze mid-movement. Really now? What was she doing here?! If anything, he wanted to see Carter even less than Daniel right now! So, again, Jack chose to stay silent.

For a moment there was nothing to be heard, before she declared: "Sir? I'm coming in!"

Jack whirled around the moment she hurried in, closing the door behind her firmly. "Carter?!", he hissed at her infuriated.

She stepped away from the door and came to stand in a small sliver of moonlight that filtered in from the only window of the hut. Jack could see she was somewhat hurt by the way he had addressed her, but right now he didn't really care.

She was nibbling on her lower lip in a sign of nervousness, when she asked: "Is everything alright?"

"Just peachy.", Jack grumbled.

She sighed and then went over to turn on the small oil lamp that hung on the wall next to the door. Soft, warm light began to shine at the entrance, but it barely managed to penetrate the darkness where Jack stood. Even though the hut was pretty small, just enough to accommodate two small beds and a washstand, the little lamp failed to light it up completely. Jack vaguely realized he would still have to watch where he placed his feet with his and Mitchell's equipment strewn all over the small hut.

Carter came over to where he stood next to his bed – he'd chosen the one next to the washstand as was his superior officer's prerogative - and looked up to him with her big blue eyes.

"I'm sorry.", she whispered.

Jack snorted. "What are you sorry for?", he asked, all the while knowing what she was referring to.

"You know.", she simply said. Yep, she knew him just as well as he did himself.

Jack shook his head. "Carter, you don't have to apologize to me.", he said. "I'm not your Commanding Officer anymore. Mitchell is. And since he's apparently okay with what you've done, you have nothing to apologize for."

Now it was her time to snort. "This isn't about the military hierarchy or the mission and you know that.", she accused. She was right, of course.

"Look, Carter. I'm tired. Why don't you just go back to the party and tomorrow–"

She interrupted him immediately. "No, sir."

"_No, sir?_", he echoed, slightly flabbergasted. Okay, so he wasn't her CO anymore, but he was still her superior officer.

Carter shook her head slightly. "I wasn't really comfortable there to begin with. And I think I have spent enough time there so Daniel won't have to smooth an impending conflict."

"Yeah, one could certainly see, how much you didn't like it there…", Jack grumbled under his breath. He had seen that she'd been uncomfortable, still he couldn't help the sulking. Sulking that she just hadn't flat-out refused the men coming on to her.

"Do you think I liked that?", she asked dumbfounded.

"Well, you certainly weren't complaining.", he answered absentmindedly.

Her expression turned hurt and instantly, Jack felt guilty. Already he wanted to take the words back. God, in these times, he was glad, he wasn't on SG-1 anymore! He was getting too old for this shit.

Carter swallowed and opened her mouth, thinking before she voiced with a dejected voice: "Sir, you _do_ know I would never…?"

Jack almost groaned. Of course he knew. Of course he knew she would never even seriously consider one of these alien men. He knew she had only tried to be polite and no interest whatsoever in even one of them no matter how fascinated they were by her. Again, Jack felt like shit for having gotten her to second-guess herself.

He stepped forwards, until he was very well crowding her and reached out to her. He laid his glove-covered palm onto her cheek and lightly ran his fingers over her smooth skin.

"I know, Carter.", he murmured. "I trust you. Implicitly. But that doesn't mean I like to watch."

She smiled at him tentatively and leaned into his touch, just the slightest bit. "And that's why I'm sorry.", she whispered.

Again, Jack shook his head. "As I said, you don't have anything to be sorry for. If anything, then I should probably apologize. This wasn't really professional behavior."

She grinned conspiratorially. "Maybe. Still, it's nice seeing you jealous."

Jack raised a brow. "Nice?", he repeated. Wouldn't really be the word he would have chosen for that…

Sam still smiled up at him. "It means you care.", she explained.

Wrong, Jack thought. He had always cared. Only now he allowed himself to show it. But he knew what she meant.

"Sam, there really are better ways to show how much I care.", Jack sighed. His anger finally left him and he felt drained. Really, maybe it had been time to give the wheel over to another, younger officer. By now there was too much standing in between him and his former 2IC that this would have worked out much longer.

Her grin grew even wider. "You thinking of something specific?", she baited.

Jack narrowed his eyes on her, trying to guess what she was getting at. She stood right in front of him, not batting an eye and waited patiently for what he was going to do. Jack was tempted. Really, he was. But as almost always, he had to consider the TPO. And, as always, it didn't really match. They were off-world. They were on a mission. They were both supposed to be on the party, where the other half of their team was. But, for once, Jack didn't care the least.

"Oh, for cryin' out loud…!", he cursed. And with a swift movement, Jack reached out and grabbed onto her. He cupped Sam's cheeks and hauled her in to him, while bending down to her. In the half-darkness of the room Jack crashed his lips to hers and immediately, he felt Sam react eagerly. Her hands grabbed his shirt over his chest, holding on and she pressed herself against him. Their lips moved on each other's with heated urgency, trying to reassure the other. Now finally able to do it, Jack let one of his hands travel into her hair, running his fingers through her growing strands and she groaned to the feeling. Shit, Jack realized, his gloves were in the way!

Not breaking their kiss, he retracted his hands and hastily got rid of the offending garment. The moment his hands were free however, he had them back on her body, this time grabbing her waist to pull her closer to him. Sam moaned approving and then let her tongue run over his lips. Grinning pleased, Jack opened his mouth for her and instantly the kiss turned hot and passionate. Jack met every advance of her tongue equally, enjoying the feeling of her being this close to him tremendously. Sam's hands wandered over his front and then she pushed his open jacket down his shoulders. Jack let go of her for a moment to let the jacket drop to the floor, but made sure he didn't lose his connection to her. Before he had a chance to return to her though, she began opening her own BDU jacket.

Jack broke their kiss and breathing heavily, he stared down on her. She slowed down, gazing right back at him and he knew immediately she expected him to stop her. She waited for him to come up with one of their usual excuses and then compliment her out of the door. Hell, no, Jack thought. So not happening this time!

He reached out and wound one of his arms around her back, while he helped her push her jacket down her arms. A relieved smile lit up her face and with hasty movements, she threw her jacket onto the bed next to them. Jack spared the bed a quick glance, but aside from the fact that it was still stashed with part of his equipment, his weapons for example, he knew it would be a bad idea to add a bed to the equation or he wouldn't be able to stop at all.

So Jack took the next thing available. He pushed Sam back against the nearest wall, trapping her between the bed, the washstand and his body. She wasn't complaining, however. Instead, she went up onto her toes, threw her arms around his neck and sought out his lips for another searing kiss. All Jack could hear in the silence of the hut was the sounds of their frantic kisses, their erratic breathing and the rustling of their clothes, while their hands roamed over the other's body. Jack reveled in the feeling of her strong, but feminine body under his hands, the feeling of her toned muscles and smooth skin as familiar as exciting. Anticipation was running through his body together with the almost crushing need to be with her. As always, having his hands on her body was like adding oil to a fire: getting it all out of control.

And she wasn't really helping matters, Jack thought idly, when she grasped his shirt and pulled it out of his pants to shove her hands under it. He almost groaned at feeling her fingers stroke over his stomach.

Their kisses turned open-mouthed with the growing urge to breathe and whether it was the lack of oxygen or the feelings she unfailingly stirred in him, but Jack _needed_ to be closer to her. He pressed his body to hers and for a moment, he wondered if that could still be comfortable for her, but going by the groan she emitted, he guessed she didn't really mind. Sam broke their kiss and retracted her hands from their journey over his chest. Jack growled displeased, but it somehow helped him get a clear head. Hadn't there been something he had been worried about? Something about the TPO…?

He forgot worrying about anything, when she arched with a graceful movement and pulled her shirt over her head. Jack's mouth actually went dry when he was confronted with the sight of her sports bra. Oh god. Now it really was heading fast for something he wasn't sure was a good idea while on an off-world mission.

She looked up at him, judging his mood. Jack bit down hard on his teeth, trying to withstand the temptation. The sight of her half-naked in what little light the oil lamp provided, her hair tousled and her lips swollen from their kisses was almost driving him crazy and going by the way his pants tightened, his body was clearly on board. Still, Jack clawed onto his iron self-control. He hesitated, trying to decide what he should do: what he wanted to do or what he was expected to do.

Again, her hands returned to their spot under his shirt and Jack groaned. She wasn't making this any easier on him…! How come she had no qualms doing this here and now?

"Jack…", she whispered and Jack could almost see the last bits of his endurance snap. Yup, this was it. He was only a man, after all!

Again, he closed in on her, pressing her against the wall in her back and kissed her with all the emotions she was stirring in him. The kiss was hard and quite uncontrolled, but she matched him, reciprocating it with unsurprising strength. Her hands wandered around his middle and clutched onto his back, digging into his muscles that worked under her fingers. In the meanwhile, Jack let his hands roam over her body, one of them trailing over her half-naked torso, while the other slid down one of her thighs. He grabbed her knee the moment his hand cupped one of her breasts through her bra and he bent her leg up to lay it around his hip. Sam moaned and broke their kiss once more, but her calf entangled with his thigh, keeping her leg hitched up on his hip, so he was free to run his hand down her thigh towards her six. Jack's mouth wandered down her jaw to her throat, when she threw back her head, panting fast. He noticed the way her pulse was racing under his lips and her body shivered, whenever he touched a patch of bare flesh. Jack began sucking on her sensitive skin, making her wriggle against him with anticipation.

Suddenly, the door behind them flew open and Mitchell's voice rang out loudly: "No Daniel, I'm just gonna ask the General!"

Jack almost groaned out loud and his head shot around, singling out the man standing in the door frame the moment he turned and locked gazes with Jack. Mitchell froze, his mouth falling open uncomprehending while he tried to understand what his eyes were showing him: his 2IC and their CO making out against the wall of an alien hut.

Jack felt Sam stiffen against him and from the corner of his eyes, he saw a monster blush spread over her cheeks and her neck, telling him how embarrassed she felt by the situation. Immediately, Jack's protective streak kicked in and careful that he wasn't exposing Sam to Mitchell's eyes, he set her leg down and turned halfway towards the Lieutenant Colonel.

"Mitchell! Out!", he ordered with a growl.

The other man stared at him as if he was confronted with a foreign concept. Jack was beginning to get impatient. Okay, so what he and Carter had done wasn't really appropriate, but was that any way to react like that?

"Am I not making myself clear?", Jack snapped. "That was an order, Colonel! Get. Out."

Jack was angry and annoyed. He hadn't seen Carter in _months_ and when he'd finally gotten a moment alone with her, Mitchell had to walk in on them! Okay, Jack dimly realized that this was Mitchell's hut as well, but the anger bubbling through his body prevented he went easier on the other man. He was only aware of Carter's rushed breath that wafted over his neck and her warm, half-naked torso pressed against his.

Mitchell focused on Jack with an indignant, confused expression on his face. "…sir?", he all but choked.

Jack gritted his teeth together. "I'm not going to repeat that, Colonel!", he threatened, while he fished with his foot for his jacket to hand it over to Sam.

"Cam? What's taking–", Daniel's voice interrupted and when he arrived at the door frame he only needed one glance to understand the situation and, Jack had to give him credit for that, he tried to maneuver Mitchell out of the room. However, the Lieutenant Colonel wouldn't budge. Instead, he set his eyes on Sam, who was still hidden behind Jack's back.

"Sam?", Mitchell asked with a strained, wary voice. "Are you alright?"

Was she…? Jack was stumped. What did Mitchell think he was doing with her? Raping her?

"Yeah, everything's okay, Cam.", Sam stated embarrassed. "Could you just… wait outside for a minute?"

"Maybe it would be better, if I stayed…", Mitchell countered, eyeing up Jack, before actually making a step into the room, despite all the tucking Daniel did on the Lieutenant Colonel's sleeve.

Jack finally got his jacket within reach and handed it back to Sam, who murmured a heartfelt thanks.

"What, Mitchell?", Jack snapped. "Do you want to watch?"

"Jack!", Sam and Daniel admonished simultaneously.

"Watch…?", Mitchell echoed surprised, before continuing: "Sir, are you even aware what you're doing? Off-world? With a female subordinate?"

"And what's that supposed to mean?", Jack inquired heatedly, while doing a step forwards towards the other man. He knew immediately what Mitchell was hinting at and he didn't like being threatened.

Sam's hand shot out and held him back with a firm grip around his upper arm. "Jack.", she said. "He doesn't know–"

"Sir, I will have to report that.", Mitchell cut in gravely.

Jack almost saw red. "Report _what_ exactly, Colonel?", he barked. "That I was making out with my wife?"

Mitchell looked at him, completely stumped. He opened his mouth to answer, but no words were to come. Once, twice, three times. Then, finally: _"…wife?!"_

Jack raised an eyebrow. "What exactly were you thinking Carter and I were doing right now?", he asked furious.

Mitchell waved around the air, speechless, which got Daniel to snicker noiselessly. "Sorry, sir, but that looked a lot like breaking the frat regs…!"

Jack scowled at him. "I will only say that once, Mitchell. Carter and I have never broken the frat regs. Ever."

"Yes, sir. Of course, sir.", Mitchell agreed immediately. "I just… I didn't know… really, your wife?!"

Sam sighed and walked forwards to stand next to Jack. "Cam, I didn't have the opportunity yet to tell you, but General O'Neill and I married, when he became Head of Homeworld Security.", she explained.

"Really…", Mitchell commented. "Married…"

Sam grinned widely. "Yes. Married. It was why I hesitated to come back to SG-1. We had originally planned to stay, well, a little bit closer to each other."

"Oh.", Mitchell said, clearly searching for words. "I'm… I'm… sorry."

Sam waved him off. "No, that's okay. It was my decision and he agreed. So it's alright."

"Yeah. Still, I'm sorry.", Mitchell said and motioned around the room to signal he meant this situation.

"Not as sorry as I am.", Jack grouched.

"Jack!", Sam reprimanded.

Jack saw Mitchell go red with embarrassment and hastily, the Lieutenant Colonel began to pack his things together. "Um… how about I just… sleep in Daniel's hut?"

"Cam, you really don't have to–", Sam began, when Jack already opened the door for him and the widely smiling Daniel, replying: "Have fun together. And Daniel, bring Carter her stuff."

"Jack!", Cam heard Sam cry out half-amused, half-frustrated. But the Lieutenant Colonel didn't stay and wait for the argument to unfold. Whatever they were lastly agreeing on, Cam didn't think he could spend the night in either Sam's or General O'Neill's presence. God, he hadn't embarrassed himself that much since the time he had thrown up during his first simulation flight of an F-16 at the Air Force Academy!

Daniel hurried after him and caught up with Cam, walking beside him. Cam scratched his neck uncomfortably, before it burst out of him curiously: "Daniel, did you–?"

The archaeologist still smiled widely. "Of course I knew.", he said. "I've been at the wedding. Been best man actually. Teal'c was also there."

"Oh, I feel so stupid right now.", Cam groaned.

Daniel snickered. "Oh, I thought it very funny."

"Oh yeah and I'm sure General O'Neill would agree with you.", Cam answered sarcastically.

"Ah, don't worry.", Daniel said confidently. "He and Sam would have never done anything while off-world. And by tomorrow, he'll have forgotten about it."

Yeah, Cam wished he could have said the same thing. He seriously would have given a few things to erase the picture of his 2IC with their two-star boss in a passionate embrace from his memory…

Daniel suddenly laughed. "Oh, Vala will be so sorry she's missed that!"

"She doesn't know, either?", Cam inquired.

Daniel opened the door to their hut and let Cam go in first. "Nah, Sam and Jack didn't really broadcast the news. He doesn't want people to think Sam's gotten her promotions through him."

"That's bullshit.", Cam said immediately. "Everyone can see she's brilliant!"

"Yeah, but you know how people can be.", Daniel agreed.

Cam flopped down on the bed that had been Sam's, while Daniel began to gather her things.

"So there's really been something between General O'Neill and Sam?", Cam asked pensive. "I never really believed the rumors, y'know?"

Daniel kicked the door to the hut open seeing that he had his arms full with their astrophysicist friend's stuff, but turned back, when he heard Cam's question.

"It is as Jack said: they never did anything while they were in a direct chain of command.", Daniel explained. "But Sam has loved him for years. And for Jack, there's never been anyone else but Sam."

* * *

_A/N: Alright, so this is the end. At least for now. But I'm curious. Which chapter did you like the most? Tell me?_


End file.
